Spider Quinn 21 A View of Oakwood and Ruins - Part 8

 

“Are you sure?” Dafoanairi asked, having figured out what the Enigma intended to do.

 

“Not entirely, but do you or Ninja Talon have any better ideas?”

 

“Not right at the moment,” Dafoanairi admitted.

 

“Um, no,” Ninja Talon added.

 

Dafoanairi figured that Ninja Talon had figured it out too. “We need to defend her,” she said.

 

“I’ll do so too,” SpiderGirl said.

 

Dafoanairi saw that an agent had exposed more of the stone. ‘Trying to bury it in the short time left would be difficult,’ she thought.

 

 

The sun began to rise, illuminating everyone there.

 

“Now, you’re going to witness something.”

 

“That’s, like, what you think,” the Enigma said. She then concentrated as she tried to telekinetically lift a large amount of soil nearby.

 

 

Dafoanairi watched as the Enigma strained. ‘It would take at least ten minutes to get her home if she exhausts herself,’ she thought.

 

 

The Enigma strained and realised that she was trying to pick up too much soil too fast. She settled for just ripping up a sheet of grass.

 

 

“How long can you hold that up?” Osborn asked as he watched the grass block the rising Sun.

 

“Long enough,” the Enigma said, although she wasn’t sure.

 

 

But the lack of sleep that night had taken its toll on her and her hold on the grass slipped after another half of a minute. “Sorry,” she murmured to Dafoanairi.

 

“We’ll have to….” Dafoanairi started before the Enigma let go of the grass and leaned against her in exhaustion. ‘She’s not as out of it as before,’ she thought.

 

The stone glowed as the sunlight hit it. The mound started shaking.

 

“Uh olh!” SpiderGIrl said.

 

“Finally!” Osborn said.

 

 

The vigilantes struggled to maintain their footing, with SpiderGirl struggling the least. She took Ninja Talon’s hand and steadied her.

 

“I would have thought I’d be able keep my balance,” Ninja Talon said in slight embarrassment.

 

“This isn’t like anything else we’ve experienced,” SpiderGirl said.

 

The soil shook free of the mound, revealing that they were standing on a structure similar to a ziggurat. Bright lines covered it. It stopped shaking and Dafoanairi examined some of the inscriptions she could see.

 

“Sort of looks like hieroglyphics, from Egypt,” SpiderGirl commented.

 

“Not really,” Ninja Talon added.

 

“It isn’t that,” Osborn said.

 

“Not hieroglyphics,” Dafoanairi said. “More like Cuneiform. But what would something similar to Egypt or Sumeria be doing in what is now Pennsylvania?”

 

“I have no idea,” Spark responded. “But it’s going to spark interest once it gets out.”

 

“But it won’t get out,” Osborn said.

 

“Not in the way you think,” Ninja Talon said as she pointe to the southeast.

 

Everyone looked and saw a large craft approaching. It had a pair of dirigible envelopes with a platform between them.

 

“SHIELD!” Osborn declared with annoyance.

 

“Must be one of the calls the professor made last night,” Ninja Talon said.

 

 

A quinjet lifted off of the Dirigible Carrier platform and approached the site.

 

 

The quinjet landed and three men stepped out. One of them produced his badge. “Agent Phil Coulson. Director Fury has ordered us to secure this site.”

 

Osborn grumbled. “Of course he has.”

 

Coulson turned to SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon. “Ninja Talon, is it? The professor sends his regards.”

 

“So, what now?” Ninja Talon asked.

 

“Despite the events that occurred here both yesterday and this morning, and at the Oakwood hospital last night, Osborn hasn’t done anything technically illegal,” Coulson answered with annoyance in his professional tone. “This is officially a warning.”

 

“Got it,” Osborn said. “I shall clear off. But Fury will be receiving a complaint!”

 

“And he’ll read it,” Coulson responded with the same tone of annoyance. “But please leave immediately.”

 

“We’ll be leaving also,” Dafoanairi said. “I need to get this one somewhere to rest,” she added, indicating the Enigma.

 

“Go ahead,” Coulson said.

 

 

SpiderGirl thought about it, as she and Ninja Talon headed back into Oakwood. “SHIELD,” she murmured.

 

“Huh?” Ninja Talon asked.

 

“I was just thinking about what that agent said, I think he was saying that SHIELD has no solid proof that Osborn was up to something.”

 

“I think he was saying that he’s aware that he’s up to his neck in it… Exactly.”

 

“I think the First Nations people probably wouldn’t be happy with SHIELD occupying the site. I don’t know what they would think of the step pyramid thing.”

 

“I don’t know either.”

 

 

Dafoanairi and the Enigma reached the latter’s mother’s car where they had parked it earlier before changing back into the usual Daria and Sandi respectively. Daria looked at Sandi, who still looked exhausted. “We should go back to Lawndale.”

 

“You know that Mother will just tell me to go to sleep.”

 

“And she’d be right.”

 

“I know,” Sandi said with slight annoyance. “I’m not sure what she’ll make of this situation though.”

 

“She does need to know,” Daria said as she started the car.

 

Sandi nodded.

 

 

Oakwood Chronicle

Monday, March 12, 2001

Police Called to Hospital Last Night

 

 

SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon arrived on the Story Oak’s roof half an hour after sunrise.

 

“I don’t think Joey will be up yet,” SpiderGirl said. “But I probably won’t get much sleep.”

 

“Neither will I, but I better get back before Ashley-Amber sees that I’m not home again,” Ninja Talon said, referring to her step mother.

 

“I’ll see you later, Talon.”

 

 

Elsewhere in Oakwood, the silent vigilante arrived back at her home and took off her mask, certain that her mother was still asleep. But she was wrong. Her mother emerged from the kitchen. “Sarah Robyn? You’ve been out again?” she asked rhetorically.

 

 

Alex Brown knew that her daughter had been up to something. The look on her face confirmed her suspicions. “I know that you think you need to do what you’re doing, Sarah Robyn, but I don’t want to lose you. She went up and hugged her. You know that I miss hearing your voice.”

 

Sarah Robyn backed off and signed. I met SpiderGirl last night.

 

“Have you been going over to Lawndale?”

 

No, it was here in Oakwood, at the hospital.

 

“Oh! But I hope that what’s happening in Lawndale is not going to happen here too.”

 

I hope so too.

 

“But we do need to talk about what you’re doing.”

 

Sarah Robyn breathed out in a silent sigh.

 

 

Quinn entered the apartment to find that Joey was still asleep.  She breathed a sigh of relief. “Now, how long until breakfast? I think Larissa said that the Story Oak will open at 8:00 today.” She looked at the time. 7:55. “It’ll be quite soon, and I get the feeling that I need to be in Lawndale by noon.”

 

 

After waking up and dressing, Joey saw that Quinn was waiting in the main room of the apartment. “Oh, you’re here,” he said. “But you…”

 

“Look like I haven’t slept?” Quinn finished for him. “I didn’t get much sleep at all, but I’ll be fine.”

 

“We don’t have to go to breakfast right now if you don’t want to.”

 

“No, I’m up and so is the sun, let’s go.”

 

 

The café wasn’t that busy yet, so Quinn saw that Larissa was already there. “Morning, Larissa,” she said as she came up.

 

“Morning, Quinn,” Larissa responded with a yawn.

 

“I guess you’re worried about how the Story Oak will do.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’m sure it will do fine,” Quinn said in reassurance.

 

“Did you find anything last night?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You were investigating what is happening out in the mound right?” Larissa asked. “Everyone is going to notice that SHIELD Dirigible Carrier.”

 

“Not much, but I’m sure that the professor knows,” Quinn answered. ‘Sorry, Larissa, only Brittany and Officer Peterson know I’m SpiderGirl.’

 

“So, you’r going to talk to him before going back to Lawndale?”

 

“Yes, but after breakfast.”

 

 

Larissa watched Quinn go to order as she reflected on the night just passed as a crackle of static flickered between her and the table.

 

 

“So, what did you do last night?” Joey asked.

 

“Looking around Oakwood,” Quinn answered, as she did do that on her way towards the mound. “And we’re going to talk to the professor before we go home.”

 

“I want to know more myself. But what if SHIELD is at the hospital?”

 

“I’ll just talk my way past them.”

 

“But they aren’t teachers or other students,” Joey responded.

 

“I’ll make it work.”

 

 

It turned out that SHIELD wasn’t at the hospital, but Quinn saw that Officer Vale was. He didn’t look in her direction more than once. She relaxed. Peterson had kept her promise and hadn’t shared her knowledge of her secret identity with him.

 

“Professor Aldridge is awake,” an orderly said, after Quinn asked about him.

 

“Thanks,” Quinn responded.

 

 

Professor Aldridge was looking out the window at the Dirigible Carrier when Quinn and Joey came in.

 

“Good Morning, Professor,” Quinn said.

 

He turned to face her and Joey before motioning for them to sit. “Morning, Ms. Morgendorffer. Ï’m sure you and Mr. Green have a reason for stopping in so early.”

 

“We’re heading back to Lawndale today,” Quinn responded. “And I have heard about SHIELD taking over the site instead of Oscorp.”

 

Aldridge sighed. “Yes. I can tell you that SHIELD is now occupying the site. A necessary evil. It’s better they have taken it over than Oscorp. As an aside, I knew Agent Coulson when he was a student.”

 

“So, you called in a favor?” Joey asked.

 

“Yes,” Aldridge answered.

 

“But what do the First Nations people think?” Quinn asked.

 

“They don’t like it, but Coulson has allayed their concerns,” Aldridge said.

 

 

Quinn thought about that answer. ‘That has worked out,’ she thought. ‘But there being a ziggurat, or whatever it is, there is probably their biggest concern.’