As she sat down for dinner, Helen noticed something
different about Daria. “Hairclips, Daria? I’m happy that you’re changing
something up.”
“That’s all I’m changing,” Daria responded. “I may have
decided to grow my hair, and grief for Dad is changing me, but I’m still your
sarcastic daughter who doesn’t dress to fit in.”
Helen chuckled. “I just didn’t expect it, that’s all.
But, change is a constant in life, Daria. You may find that you’re changing in
ways you don’t expect.”
“I already know that.”
“At some point you may not want to wear that jacket
anymore.”
“I intend to wear this for the rest of high school,”
Daria said.
“All I’m saying is, that you might reconsider as you
change.”
Daria thought on that as she ate. She hoped that her
mother was wrong on that score. ‘But she’s rarely wrong on this. Time will
tell.’
At the same time, Quinn served one of the girls from
school. “Erin Archer, is it?” she asked.
“Yes,” the girl answered. “I don’t hang out with the
so-called popular crowd. But, Anna has spoken highly of you.”
“Really?”
“That you’re going above and beyond. It’s too bad Ben got
bit by that snake.”
“You heard about that?” Quinn asked.
“Yes. Most of the students would know about it by now.”
“Of course. I shouldn’t underestimate the rumor mill.”
“And you’ve been in them a lot since the Fashion Club
ended,” Erin said.
“And I tried to counter what Sandi said.”
“I’d say that was successful. I haven’t heard much since
before the holidays.”
“That’s good,” Quinn said. “But what would you like?”
“Cocoa with small chips please.”
“Coming right up.”
Quinn soon finished her first shift. She said goodbye to
Mrs. Rowe, and then went up to the roof and swung away as SpiderGirl.
At the same time, the Shadow was on a rooftop across from
the store that had been broken into, sketching the scene. ‘A fourth,’ she
considered. ‘Who could it be? Do they have powers?’ For she didn’t have powers,
relying on the technology and gadgets her mother and mentor was providing her.
As she continued to sketch she considered the changes taking place, both in
Lawndale and in her best friend.
From the Historia, SpiderGirl headed over the creek to
Lawndale Flats, thinking that she needed to put in an appearance there, as she
hadn’t since the weekend.
Ninja Talon left Crewe Neck, heading into the main part
of Lawndale. She wanted to find the new vigilante, and she had most of the
night to do so. ‘I hope I find her tonight, otherwise tomorrow will be tiring,’
she thought. Being a sleep deprived cheerleader was not really fun. But at that
moment she was alert for anything the night would throw at her.
After half an hour in Lawndale Flats, SpiderGirl headed
home, as she had homework to do, a mother to talk to, and a journal to write
in.
“Quinn?” Helen asked when she saw her daughter enter the
front door. “How was the Historia?”
“It was great! But Mrs. Rowe is concerned about you,”
Quinn answered.
“Oh, I guess I just got caught up at work,” Helen said.
“When I’m here, it makes me think more of him. You two are not the only one’
changing due to grief.”
Quinn hugged her mother. “You’re not alone. Call her,
Either that, or talk to Daria and I more.”
“I didn’t realise how much Daria’s changing. I was
focused on you.”
“It’s not too late.”
“I had a talk with her earlier,” her mother said as the
hug ended and wiped a tear from her eye. “She’s changing more than she
realises.”
“I know.”
Quinn went up to her room. ‘There’s no time for the
modifications tonight,’ she thought. It was already late and she had homework
to do.
“Helen?” Elizabeth said.
“It is me. I’m sorry I haven’t reached out to you
earlier.”
“I see Quinn talked to you.”
“Yes,” Helen began and told Elizabeth what she told her
younger daughter.
“I’m here. You can come to the Historia tomorrow night.”
“That would be great. I haven’t been out since before the
holidays.”
The Enigma left 512 Grandstaff Drive after midnight,
having had an hour and half of sleep. Despite that, she was alert. She headed
downtown along the street with purpose, to protect the innocent, or to stops
crimes in progress as she had the previous night.
Linda awoke at the same time. It was a mother’s
intuition, telling her that Sandi had left again. She went out to the kitchen
and took out a potato salad. But she paused. She knew that Sandi would adopt a
hero persona and simply going ‘Finndu
mann sem heitir: Cassandra Aphrodite Griffin’ wouldn’t work while she was in
that persona and that she would succumb to sensory overload by perceiving all
of Lawndale and some of the surrounding countryside at once. She sighed and put
the potato salad back in the fridge.
‘I’m
probably not going to get much sleep,’ she thought. ‘But I’m going to learn her
hero name sooner or later.’
Ninja
Talon had taken a stakeout point on the top of the Historia. It may have been a
small theatre, but it was still relatively tall compared to other buildings in
downtown Lawndale. She listened to the radio, waiting for reports on the
movements of the new vigilante. She looked at the time, nearly one AM. Then she
heard something. Something like gunshots, but different. It was somewhere on
the street, to the south of her position. She looked and saw three figures
being chased by a fourth with purple flashing between them.
She
then climbed down the side of the building and carefully went to have a closer
look.
The
Enigma had cornered some thieves after they had broken into a store and made
off with some goods. They had ran and somehow evaded her telekinetic attempts
to restrain them. ‘I still need some practice there,’ she thought as she
continued to try to head them off with her energy projections. Then she saw a
dark figure dart out to the side, and a shuriken slipped past her. She stopped.
She turned and said; “The thieves are getting away!”
The
figure said nothing, but simply sent out a zip line across the street, causing
the thieves to trip. She then ran around, tying them up in the zip line. “That
will hold them for a while,” she said.
“I
guess you’re Ninja Talon,” the Enigma said as the other retrieved the shuriken.
“That’s
right,” Ninja Talon answered as she came back. “And you’re the mysterious
fourth vigilante.”
“Yes,
an antihero. Call me the Enigma.”
“Antihero?”
“Yes.
I will do whatever it takes to keep Lawndale safe,” the Enigma responded.
“SpiderGirl hasn’t been doing much of a good job.”
“She
has been!” Ninja Talon responded. “She’s only one person and she has been
giving Lawndale hope.”
“That’s
what my mentor said,” the Enigma responded quietly, trying not to give anything
away.
“And
you should listen to them.”
“They
don’t want me doing this either, but I want to do this, to help Lawndale and to
confront SpiderGirl.”
“How
would you confronting SpiderGirl help Lawndale?” Ninja Talon asked.
“I’m
not sure!”
“Then
you shouldn’t.”
“It
is something I need to do!” The Enigma said quietly.
“To
prove yourself?”
“Probably.”
“But
is that what Lawndale needs?” Ninja Talon asked.
“Maybe.”
“I’m
doing this because I think Lawndale needs me to do it, and I was inspired by
SpiderGirl.”
“It
all comes back to SpiderGirl!” The Enigma said. She turned away from Ninja
Talon.
“I
see that there’s more.”
“Of
course there is. But there’s nothing more to discuss.”
Ninja
Talon watched the Enigma disappear into the distance. ‘I definitely need to
keep an eye on her.’
She
yawned. ‘But I have to tell Peterson and SpiderGirl something.’
It
wasn’t long until Peterson arrived on the scene and secured the thieves. “It
was actually the new vigilante who caught them in the act,” Ninja Talon said.
“What
happened?” Peterson asked.
Ninja
Talon filled her in on what happened.
“So,
she has some sort of energy projection powers?”
“Yes,
either that it was technology. But if was that, it would have be very
advanced.”
“Another
headache,” Peterson murmured, her voice low. “And I’m overstretched as it is.”
“What
else is new?”
“Thanks
for bringing it to my attention, but did she identify herself?”
“She
called herself the Enigma, but I think that should be between us and SpiderGirl
for now.”
“I
agree, Lawndale is on edge enough.”
Ninja
Talon then headed westwards, hoping to find SpiderGirl awake.
SpiderGirl
did wake at the usual time and saw Ninja Talon on the roof when she climbed out
onto it. “How long have you been waiting?” she asked, trying to hide her
surprise.
“Not
long,” Ninja Talon answered. “I encountered that new vigilante, earlier
tonight.”
“What
happened?” SpiderGirl asked.
She
then listened as Ninja Talon relayed her interactions with the Enigma and
Peterson.
“Troubling,”
SpiderGirl commented as Ninja Talon finished. “That she seemingly has powers
and wants to confront me. I agree that we should keep the name secret, though.
It will come out soon enough.”
“That’s
true,” Ninja Talon said. She yawned. “I need to get to bed.”
“I
could take you. It will be quicker.”
“Sure.”
Indeed,
SpiderGirl could see that Ninja Talon was drifting off to sleep as she swung
towards Crewe Necke. Her mind was on what the fatigued ninja had revealed. A
new antihero in Lawndale who seemed to be out to get her out of a sense of
rivalry.
As
SpiderGirl ferried Ninja Talon home, the Enigma returned to her own home, where
she found her mother asleep on the couch. “Please, don’t wait up for me,” Sandi
said quietly as she took off her mask. She didn’t want her mother loosing too
much sleep over what she had decided to do. As she went up the stairs, she went
over the conversation with Ninja Talon again. ‘She does have some points,
mostly about what’s good for Lawndale,’ she thought. ‘But what we think is good
for Lawndale is almost certainly different.’
SpiderGirl
arrived on the roof of the Taylor mansion and shook Ninja Talon awake. “We’re
here.”
“Thanks.
But what are you going to do about the Enigma?”
“Avoid
her, for now, while I think about what to do.”
“Is
that a good idea?” Ninja Talon asked.
“It
is if she has powers, or advanced technology. I don’t know what it would do to
me, even with my enhanced healing.”
“Good
point.”
“And
it will give me time to think, to plan and prepare, and see how people react,”
SpiderGirl added.
Ninja
Talon nodded and then climbed down and through her bedroom window.
SpiderGirl
then sat there, listening to Lawndale from the different perspective for a
while before heading home.
Lawndale
Sun-Herald
Thursday,
February 1st, 2001
Rumors
of a fourth vigilante
“A
fourth?” Norman Osborn asked himself as he put the paper aside. ‘This could be
what I need.’ He knew how to proceed to convince Mayor Lawson to allow Oscorp
to access the municipal CCTV.
Linda
awoke. She stirred from the couch and went up to wake Sandi. She didn’t want a
repeat of the previous morning.
Sandi
was already awake. “Oh!” Linda said.
“I
may have been out, but I was prepared.”
“Good!
But I’m disappointed in you. You disobeyed me!”
“So,
I’m rebellious. You can’t control me, Mother!” Sandi said.
“It’s
not about control. I know you’re growing up. It’s concern! You heard what I
said.”
“That
you’re concerned for the family. So am I.”
“You’re
still using the house as a base,” Linda pointed out.
“I
could go out back, instead of the front, if you want.”
“Not
much of a compromise.”
“If
nothing else, I need to get to school,” Sandi said.
“I
want you to take your brothers to school today.”
“Of
course,” Sandi said sarcastically.
“And
we’ll talk more this evening, and see how far you’ve developed your powers.”
Brittany
awoke and thought on what had happened during the night as she got ready to go
to school. ‘I will help Quinn prepare,’ she thought.
Daria
looked at herself again as she put the clips in her hair a second time. She
found that she liked what she saw. She remembered her conversation with her
mother the evening before. ‘I’ll have to take each change as it comes,’ she
thought. She only admitted to herself that the prospect scared her a little.
After
nearly an hour of patrolling as SpiderGirl, reading the paper’s speculations on
the fourth vigilante and thinking about what Brittany had revealed, Quinn
arrived at school early. She hoped to find Mr. O’Neill before Homeroom. She
entered the Language Arts office. “Mr. ’O’Neill?”
Mr.
O’Neill was there. “Quinn?”
“You
know how I’m mentoring four other students?”
“Of
course.”
“It’s
Gerald Brown. He’s having trouble with projecting his voice.”
“Hmm.
And you want me to help?”
“More
like you could find someone else who could help?” Quinn asked.
“True.
It sounds like he needs an elocutionist. There should be several in Lawndale.
But I should say that they charge.”
“That
shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I
will look them up and get to you by the end of the day,” O’Neill decided. “How
does that sound?”
“It
sounds very good,” Quinn said.
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