Spider Quinn 22 Attractions of Lawndale - Part 8

 

Daria was trying to ignore Kevin’s stupid story when she saw Sandi as the Enigma outside. ‘I guess she’s concerned about what Kevin may do too.’

 

She looked at the just as bored Marta. ‘Not sure why she’s listening to Kevin.’

 

“…And so, I made the goal! And unlike Tommy Sherman, I didn’t hit the goal post.”

 

“That’s a low bar,” Jane commented from where she was sketching.

 

“At least Kevin isn’t anywhere near the jerk Tommy was,” Daria commented.

 

“Is it true that he was hitting on students just before his death?” Marta asked.

 

“I saw him proposition every girl he came across,” Daria answered.

 

“Except Daria.”

 

Daria was uncomfortable. The moniker that Tommy had given her hit uncomfortably close to home now, after what happened to her father. “Let’s change the subject.”

 

“Of course,” Jane said.

 

 

The Enigma retreated, as she didn’t want to be noticed. Not yet. ‘Wait until Kevin is actually doing something.’ She went around the back of the Historia and changed to the usual Sandi before entering the theater from one of the back doors.

 

 

“Uh oh!” Daria said as she grabbed her now empty plate.

 

“Uh oh?” Jane asked.

 

“Sandi’s here.”

“It’s not likely she’ll cause problems for Quinn while she’s working, right?”

 

“No. But she might have news from the fourth vigilante,” Daria obfuscated.

 

“So, she knows her identity too?”

 

Daria sighed. “Yes.”

 

 

Jane noted that down.

 

Sandi also knows fourth vigilante’s identity.

 

 

“You’re also keeping an eye on Kevin?” Daria asked.

 

“Yes. But I also located Marta,” Sandi answered quietly. “And she was looking at Kevin when I did so.”

 

“So, you think she might be SpiderGIrl?”

 

“I didn’t want to ignore the possibility.”

 

Daria considered that. Sandi’s quest to find SpiderGirl’s identity was starting to make things more complex.

 

“So, I’ll stay until closing,” Sandi concluded.

 

 

The phone rang in the office and Quinn picked it up,

 

“Hi, Quinn,” her mother said. “I’m just checking that Daria is there.”

 

“She is, Mom. She was having dinner with Jane.”

 

“Thanks. I was a little worried, although she knows how to look after herself.”

 

“That isn’t all, is it?”

 

“For the moment it is. I need to get back to work.”

 

Quinn sighed. Her mother had been taking work home in the evenings before her father died, but it seemed that the tendency had increased in the four months since his passing. “OK. I’ll see you later.”

 

“Bye, sweetie.”

 

 

When the café closed for the evening, Daria saw Kevin and Marta hanging around in the foyer. “Are you waiting for someone?” she asked Marta.

 

“My mother said she’d pick me up, as we’re in Newridge,” Marta responded.

 

‘That makes sense,’ Daria thought, as Newridge lay on the southwestern edge of Lawndale’s sprawl. She looked to where Sandi and Jane were standing with their backs to each other to either side of the double doors to the café. “Looks like we’re all waiting around.”

 

“I’m going up now,” Kevin said as he approached the stairs.

 

“Wait, Kevin,” Daria said.

 

“No!”

 

Daria paused. She could get another staff from the apartment instead of the one on the roof. ‘Dafoanairi and the the Enigma instead of SpiderGirl? I’m sure that he would be disappointed.’

 

Kevin went up the stairs.

 

“Fine, let him,” Jane said in exasperation. “Trent will be here soon.”

 

 

Sandi watched Daria leave as she headed backstage to change to Dafoanairi. ‘Marta may not be SpiderGirl, but she’s drawn my attention.’

 

“So, you know who the fourth vigilante is?” Jane asked.

 

Sandi glared at the experimenting artist, ignoring her more conventional look. “Did Daria say that?” she asked, trying not to sound too defensive.

 

“She did. So I guess you found out yourself given that Daria promised to keep her secret.”

 

“You, like, surmise correctly.”

 

“But, how? Why?” Jane asked.

 

“Like, how Daria knows.”

 

“I think there’s more to it,” Jane saiid.

 

 

Jane was about to prod Sandi more when she saw Trent enter the building.

 

“Evening, Janie,” he said.

 

“Just in time, Trent. You might witness a quarterback try to ask a superhero out,” Jane said.

 

“Here in the theater?” Trent asked.

 

“Like, up on the roof,” Sandi interjected.

 

“Hmm. This I’d like to see.”

 

“Really?” Jane asked.

 

 

Quinn emerged from the café with Stacy to find everyone gone, including Kevin. “He must have gone up to the roof,” she told Stacy.

 

“Do you want me to come up to?” Stacy asked.

 

“I can handle it,” Quinn said.

 

Stacy breathed deeply. “I know Quinn,” she said seriously.

 

“You know what?” Quinn asked, trying not to be defensive.

 

“That you’re one of the heroes. Not which one, although I have some idea.”

 

“Stacy, I hope you haven’t told anyone.”

 

“No one!” Stacy said in an assured tone.

 

Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks Stacy.”

 

 

Quinn and Stacy emerged onto the roof to find Jane and Trent waiting just outside the door. Kevin was pacing near the northern edge, with Dafoanairi sitting unimpressed on the edge.

 

‘Can’t change to SpiderGirl here,’ Quinn thought. ‘But I expected that, especially with Stacy here. But can Daria as Dafoanairi cope with Kevin?’ she wondered, as she was more sure that Dafoanairi was Daria. ‘An anagram of her given names. Daria Fiona. Dafoanairi.’

 

“Right. Dafoanairi, but no SpiderGirl, Ninja Talon, Shadow or fourth vigilante,” Stacy murmured. She looked to Quinn. “But maybe one of them may be here.’”

 

‘Great, she’s narrowed down that I’m not Dafoanairi. But Brit is at home, or patrolling somewhere in the south. I’ll catch up with her later.’

 

“Quinn!” Kevin said. “SpiderGirl’s not here yet.”

 

“She’s not always here,” Quinn responded.

 

“Although the Wednesday nights are consistent,” Dafoanairi pointed out.

 

‘I’ll be here as Spidey after this is resolved,’ Quinn thought. “I guess so, but you’re not going to wait for her.”

 

“I’m not?” Kevin asked as he stepped closer to the edge while looking around.

 

 

Trent noticed the tension rise after Quinn and Stacy stepped on the rooftop. Kevin was being obstinate, Dafoanairi looked more tense, like she was ready to jump if she thought she needed to intervene and Janie was sketching the moment, but also ready to change to the Shadow in an instant if she needed to. He looked out over Lawndale. Fog was coming in. ‘Maybe Janie wouldn’t need her usual fog,’ he thought as Kevin stepped closer to the edge.

 

 

Dafoanairi’s heart rate rose, as she looked over the edge herself. The Enigma was down in the rear car park, but she wasn’t sure whether she’d would be able to catch Kevin telekinetically if she fell.

 

“SPIDERGIRL! I’m here!” Kevin called out.

 

“This is enough. Just because you chose this for Mr. O’Neill….” Jane said.

 

“I don’t want to fail!” Kevin said.

 

“You failed at meeting SpiderGirl. But that means that Mr. O’Neill will say that you succeeded at failing,” Jane said.

 

“I guess so,” Kevin said.

 

 

Kevin sat down.

 

Quinn got a text message. She looked at her cell phone and saw that it was from Brittany’s burner number.

 

Reports of the Goblin Glider appearing again. I know you might be dealing with Kevin, but we need to meet at the Bridge.

 

Quinn typed a response.

 

I’ll be there within ten minutes. Others are dealing with Kevin.

 

“Quinn?” Stacy asked.

 

“Something has come up. I have to go,” Quinn said.

 

“Is it Anna? Or Angie?”

 

“Someone else. I’ll see you later.”

 

“But!” Stacy objected.

 

“You can help them handle Kevin if need be.”

 

“I suppose.”

 

 

Quinn headed to the apartment before changing to SpiderGIrl, but then she saw that the Enigma was in the rear car park. ‘Can’t head out that way,’ she thought. But she could use the windows on the western side of the Historia.

 

 

Stacy stepped forwards toward Jane and Trent after Quinn had dashed back down the stairs. “You may need to dash towards Kevin in case Dafoanairi can’t stop him falling,” she said.

 

“You seem confident this evening,” Jane commented.

 

“Oh, I’m still anxious, but working downstairs has helped me, even in just over a month.”

 

“That’s great, Stacy,” Jane said. She then looked towards Kevin.

 

 

Kevin barely noticed Quinn leaving. He was still thinking about what Jane had said regarding Mr. O’Neil. “So, I succeeded at failing to meet SpiderGirl. Btu I still have a crush on her.”

 

“It’s probably still a rebound from Brittany,” Stacy pointed out.

 

“Exactly,” Dafoanairi said.

 

“Um, maybe, but less so than with Quinn.”

 

Kevin then jumped and stumbled next to Dafoanairi. “Uh oh!”

 

Dafoanairi steadied him. “She’s not coming,” she said. “You’re just making a fool of yourself.”

 

Kevin sighed. “Maybe next week. But I’ll have to tell Mr. O’Niel something.”

 

 

SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon arrived at the spot below the Jefferson Bridge where they had revealed their secret identities to each other and unmasked. “How was it with Kevin?” Brittany asked.

 

“It was still touch and go, but I’m sure Stacy, Jane and Dafoanairi handled it.”

 

“That’s good. I may have broken up with him, but I don’t want him to hurt himself in some ill advised quest!”

 

“So, the sighting of the Goblin Glider?” Quinn asked.

 

“Some reports from the southern areas of town this evening, most of them around Osborn’s mansion.”

 

“Was it from Andrea? Or just forums?”

 

“Both,” Brittany responded.

 

“Right. Then we’ll swing up to the Bridge lights and look in that direction.”

 

 

Upon swinging up onto one of the bridge streetlights, SpiderGirl sighted the glider low in the distance to the southwest. “There,” she said, pointing.

 

Ninja Talon looked. “Now we need to find out what Osborn is up to.”

 

“Easier said then done. Andrea’s?”

 

Ninja Talon nodded and they started swinging in that direction.

 

 

Back at the Historia, Kevin, Jane and Trent waited as Stacy locked the front door.

 

“I know how you feel, man,” Trent said to Kevin.

 

“No you don’t!” Kevin said.

 

“I mean I haven’t tried to date a superhero,” Trent said.

 

“I seriously doubt Monique would be one of the heroes,” Jane said, referring to Trent’s on again off again girlfriend.”

 

“You still don’t,” Kevin said.

 

“Done!” Stacy said as she came back to the two.

 

“So, you want a lift home?” Jane asked.

 

“Of course. I was going to call Mom when I was ready,” Stacy said.

 

“Sure!” Kevin said. “I don’t want what happened with that Anders lady to happen again.”

 

“Sure,” Trent said.

 

“Being with people is no certainty of safety,” Jane commented.