Spider Quinn 14 Battle and Consequence Part 1

 

14 Battle and Consequence

The Griffins were running late. Tom, Linda and Sandi were ready, but Sam and Chris were dragging their heels.

 

“I told you; we have to be there by 6:30,” Linda said to her older son.

 

“I am getting ready!” Sam said. “It’s Chris who’s not getting ready.”

 

“You’re still late,” Linda said as she went down the hall. She opened Chris’s door. “We’re leaving in five minutes.”

 

“Five?” Chris asked as he pulled his shirt on.

 

“Yes, the Osborns are expecting us.”

 

 

Sandi waited impatiently in the car. She looked at herself in her compact. She had chosen a simple dress, so that she would be ready to change to the Enigma if she needed to. ‘And Mother seems to have similar reasoning, though I doubt she’d do it.’ The same applied to her hair, a simple bun on top of her head, rather than a more complicated style. She looked out and saw her mother dragging Chris out by the hand, and Sam following with annoyed look on his face. ‘Great!’ she knew they were going to be trouble!

 

 

“Let’s go, we’re late already,” Linda said as she started the engine.

 

“Why again?” Sam asked Sandi.

 

“Because, Mr. Osborn wants to get to know his son’s friend,” Sandi answered. “And I’m sure there are ulterior motives.”

 

“Like Mother and Quinn’s mother?” Sam asked.

 

“Don’t mention that name in this car again!” Sandi said.

 

“Um, Daria’s mother?” Sam asked again.

 

‘Of course he would know her name,’ Sandi thought. “Yes, but more so.”

 

 

Linda thought on what Sandi and Sam were talking about as she turned off Grandstaff Drive into Bernstein Avenue. It was true that she was competitive against Helen Morgendorffer. ‘But that’s because she’s a newcomer who has been throwing her weight. But compared to Norman, she’s not really a threat. Besides, since Jake passed it seems that she’s lessened her attempts at influence,’ she thought. ‘Other than the Historia of course.’ While it was Daria and Quinn who were involved, she knew that the agreement the four teens and Stacy’s mother had with Oscorp had Helen’s fingerprints all over it.

 

 

Bernard was waiting at the gate when the Griffin’s pulled up. “Mr. Osborn is waiting in the Hall,” he said.

 

 

Harry met Sandi at the door. “Good evening, Sandi.”

 

“Good evening, Harry,” Sandi responded. “These are my parents and brothers, Sam and Chris.”

 

“Come in, my father is waiting,” Harry said.

 

“Something up?” Sandi asked as she came alongside him.

 

“He seems a little worse…” he said in a worried tone.

 

 

Norman saw the Griffins enter. He saw the daughter alongside his son. ‘I can see why he hangs around her,’ he thought. He also noticed the two rambunctious boys and the mother. He didn’t really want to go up against her. “Welcome,” he said. “Dinner will be served shortly.”

 

He went up to the daughter. “Cassandra, is it?” he asked.

 

“Yes, but I prefer Sandi.”

 

“Sandi, of course.”

 

 

‘I only get called Cassandra if I’m in trouble,’ Sandi thought as she looked away from Osborn’s look. ‘He is definitely up to something.’

 

“I guess it’s the same for the boys?” Osborn asked.

 

“Yes,” her mother said. “Simple nicknames are the best. Even in formal occasions like this.”

 

“Semiformal,” Osborn clarified. “This is meant as an ice breaker.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Tom Griffin,” her father said, introducing himself.

 

“And I guess it comes from you?” Osborn said.

 

“My side of the family, yes,” her father clarified.

“Interesting,” Osborn said.

 

Sandi turned to Harry. “Is he going to keep this up?” she whispered.

 

“He is,” Harry confirmed.

 

“It’s only making us more suspicious,” Sandi responded, looking at her mother.

 

“He doesn’t mind that.”

 

“And he’s suspicious of us, I’m sure.”

 

Harry nodded.

 

 

“So, Norman, How long had you planned to move to Lawndale?” Linda asked in a conversational tone as an entrée was served.

 

“Quite a while,” Norman answered. “A sizeable town that’s out of the way and yet is interesting in it’s own way.”

 

‘It’s certainly that, if you look below the surface,’ Linda thought. ‘But that’s true of most places.’

 

“But what brings you here, Linda?”

 

“I grew up here,” Linda answered carefully.

 

“But what brought you back here?”

 

“I thought that my home town would be a better place to bring up a family, rather than Boston.”

 

“I see,” Norman responded.

 

‘Does he know about the Purple Avenger?’

 

 

Tom watched as Norman talked to his wife. She was handling herself well under the pressure. ‘But then Linda always did.’ He then looked at Sandi and Harry, talking at the side. ‘It seems that he’s been good for her after her club ended.’ He wasn’t sure what happened there, other than that one of the Morgendorffer girls were involved. He wasn’t sure why his wife was competitive against Helen Morgendorffer, and he hadn’t got to know Jake before his untimely death. ‘I guess I would never know now.’

A sound broke his line of thought. Chris had knocked something over.

 

 

“…So, you and Daria are just wandering around looking into things?” Harry asked.

 

“Yes,” Sandi answered. She then saw Chris knock something over and her father reacting. “Excuse me, my brother is a magnet for trouble.”

 

“I wouldn’t know.”

 

“You haven’t said anything about your mother.”

 

“Now’s not the time,” Harry said.

 

 

Linda saw Tom and Sandi react to Chris’ action. ‘Good timing,’ she thought. She wanted Norman distracted as she discretely looked around the room.

 

 

Earlier

“You want me to do what?” Chris asked, when he had got home from school.

 

“Cause a distraction, by knocking something over.”

 

“Are you serious, usually you’re telling me not to.”

 

“Yes,” Linda said. “In this case, it’s so I can investigate something,” Linda said.

 

“OK, but you have to let me do something.”

 

“You can watch The Simpsons next week, with Sandi’s supervision.”

 

“Deal!”

 

 

Slightly Later

“Supervise Chris watching The Simpsons?” Sandi asked.

 

“Yes, so he’ll distract at the Osborns,” Linda responded.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

 

At the Osborns

“Careful young man,” Osborn said.

 

‘Perfect,’ Sandi thought as he came in that direction.

 

“Looked like that was planned,” Harry whispered.

 

Sandi confirmed it with a look.

 

“Clever.”

 

 

Linda looked around as Norman talked to her husband about Chris’ behaviour. ‘It’s unlikely that he’d have Oscorp secrets out in the open in the dining room,’ she thought. But there was a lot on display there. ‘Masks from many cultures,’ she thought. ‘Could be indicative of something.’

 

She didn’t find any documents, but she did see a map of Lawndale on a desk, with more property acquisitions marked out. She quickly took out a pocket camera and discretely photographed it.

 

 

“Now, apologise to Mr. Osborn,” Tom said, when he saw that his wife had sat back down at the table.

 

“I’m sorry for knocking that over.”

 

“Apology accepted,” Osborn said. “Now, dinner should be ready.”

 

 

The dinner was quiet and awkward. “So, your mother?” Sandi asked Harry quietly.

 

“She passed when I was but a toddler,” Harry confessed. “She always unwell.”

 

“That’s sad,” Sandi commented.

 

“And she grew up in Boston. There isn’t a connection to Lawndale that way.”

 

“That’s wasn’t why I asked.”

 

“I know,” Harry reassured her.

 

 

Linda noticed that Norman was getting quiet, like he was struggling with something. ‘Maybe because I’m seeing through his attempts at manipulation.’

 

 

Norman was suffering from the whispers again. ‘No! No! No! Not now! The Griffins can’t see me like this!’ He got up.

 

 

Sandi saw Norman get up. ‘Something’s wrong,’ she thought and turned to Harry.

 

He nodded.

 

“Sorry, something has come up,” Osborn said as he made himself scarce. “It’s been a good evening.”

 

“Time to go,” her mother said. She turned to Harry. ‘It’s been nice to meet you.’

 

“Wait, Sandi,” Harry said.

 

“We’ll be in the car,” her mother said.

 

 

Harry watched Sandi’s family go. “I haven’t seen Ms. Beresfield since Wednesday,” he said.

 

“And you think somethings’ happened to her?” Sandi asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’ll tell Mother, and I already told Daria,”

 

“Daria?” Harry considered. “I guess she could help, somehow.”

 

“I’ll call her when I get back. I’ll see you later.”

 

 

Linda turned the engine on when Sandi got into the car. “That was interesting. But what happened at the end there?”

 

“It’s what Harry’s been concerned about,” Sandi answered.

 

“That something is happening to him?” Linda asked, rhetorically. “That one incident isn’t proof.”

 

“I know. But given what Harry’s been saying.”

 

“I know.”

 

 

Sandi went up to her room. ‘Should I search for Verity Beresfield?’ she wondered. She looked at the yearbook. ‘Veronica Boden last night. Xanthe Boland is next…’ she grabbed the energy drink and paused. ‘Trying to find SpiderGirl can wait! Beresfield could be in danger!’

 

“Findu mann sem heiter: Verity Beresfield!”

 

There was concern, rather than anguish, but Sandi’s emotion still had similar effect as two nights earlier, when all of Lawndale was somehow affected by her search for Tiffany Blum-Deckler.

 

 

Linda was getting changed when Sandi searched. “Sandi!” she said quietly. ‘I could have searched for her instead.’

 

“Huh?” Tom asked.

 

“What we do,” Linda said.

 

 

Sandi’s perception spread out over Lawndale at the usual speed.

 

 

Quinn Morgendorffer was looking in the space above her closet when she felt another low level tingle. She fell down, but managed to catch herself with a couple of webs. ‘Another tingle, similar to Wednesday.’

 

 

Sandi found Beresfield, being held in an Oscorp building somewhere downtown.

 

 

Again, a barely perceptible field spread out over Lawndale before dissipating.

 

 

“What we do,” Linda said.

 

“Oh, what is she doing now?” Tom asked.

 

“Something to do with what we just did.”

 

 

“Right,” Sandi said to herself. “I know where she is, but what can I do about it?” she asked herself. ‘Tell Mother and ask her to call the police with an anonymous tip. Then change to the Enigma and see if Daria will help?’ She decided to do that.

 

 

“Sandi?” Linda asked when Sandi ran into her in the hall.

 

“I’m going to rescue Osborn’s counsellor,” Sandi said.

 

“By yourself?” Linda asked with concern. She knew that Sandi would do it.

 

“No,” Sandi answered. “I will ask Daria Morgendorffer to help.”

 

“Daria?” Linda asked. “What can she do?”

 

“Watch my back, for a start,” Sandi took a deep breath. “But you can call the police.”

 

“But did you get the address?” Linda asked.

“Yes,” Sandi said as she handed a piece of paper over.

 

Linda read it. “Second Street.”

 

“Also, another question; Do our powers allow for enhanced jumping or flying?”

 

Linda considered her answer. “Enhanced jumping, yes. But sustained flight is too tiring. But it took me time to figure it out.”

 

“Got it. I’ll go now.”

 

 

The Enigma rappelled out of her bedroom window less than two minutes later, and after her mother had called 911. She then headed towards the Morgendorffers.

 

 

Tania Ashworth arrived in Glen Oaks Lane near the Morgendorffers. “Let’s see,” Tania said as she took out a piece of paper again. “1111” She looked around again. “It has to be that large red brick house.” She went closer to it and saw that both the bedroom windows on the frontage were lit. “But what about at the rear?” she asked as she hid beneath a tree across the street. She found that she could see the rear bedroom to her right also had its lights on. ‘But which room belongs to who?’ she asked herself.

 

 

The Enigma entered the Morgendorffers backyard and saw that Daria’s light was on. ‘But is anyone in the kitchen?’ she asked as she took out her binoculars. She hid beneath one of the trees and looked towards the kitchen. She saw that there wasn’t anyone in there, although the light was on.

 

 

Tania saw someone at the side of the house. She took out her own binoculars and saw someone dressed in purple climbing up an ivy covered trellis. “That’s not the Shadow!” she said to herself. “The actual fourth vigilante! I have you now, Daria or Quinn!”

 

 

The Enigma carefully opened the window telekinetically, as she didn’t want to draw Quinn’s attention. She then climbed in and tiptoed to Daria’s door and knocked quietly.

 

 

Daria heard the knocking. “Strange, Mom or Quinn would just open it,” she said. She opened it. “The Enigma?” she asked quietly. “Why are you here?”

 

“Because someone is being held by Oscorp,” the Enigma answered quietly as she entered the room.

 

“You obviously know their name,” Daria commented.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Who is it?”

 

“Verity Beresfield,” the Enigma answered as she closed the door behind her.

 

“Osborn’s counsellor,” Daria considered. ‘Sandi?’ she asked herself, not for the first time. ‘But I’m still not entirely sure.’

 

“Yes, we need to go. My mentor has already called the police.”

 

“You think the police won’t be able to find her?”

 

“Or there might be traps in the building,” The Enigma said. “And I likely need someone to watch my back. I can trust you.”

 

Daria thought on that.

 

 

At the same time, Tania had climbed up the trellis and into the hallway. “But which room first?” she asked. She saw that there was one bedroom, hall closet, stairs and another hallway to the left. On the right were four doors. ‘Either east side bedroom.’ She thought. She decided to open the one on the left. “Got you!”