fardell24

Part 2
The Doctor thought about what Quinn had asked. He ran the sonic over the Zero Point Energy device and the table device it was powering. “Hmm.”

“Hmmm?” Daria asked.

“Exotic material, capable of bending space-time. It could be a portal device.”

“I don’t suppose there are other explanations?” Daria asked.

There was something strange about the way Daria asked her question, but the Doctor couldn’t put his finger on it. “What other reasons would there be to bend space-time? Any attempt to use gravitational waves as a weapon would be very uncomfortable in close proximity.”
“I suppose,” Quinn said.

“Can you turn it off?” Daria asked.

“I could try, but I have no idea what effect that would have,” the Doctor said. “If I mess around with it, who knows what would happen.”

“I think you should try,” Quinn said.

“Or maybe take it out of town first?” Daria wondered.

“There shouldn’t be other people around here at this time of night!” the Doctor mused. He doubted anyone knew that he and the Morgendorffer sisters were there.

“Oh, you’re going to try anyway,” Daria stated in her usual snarky tone.

“Oh, don’t worry, Daria. I have a plan,” the Doctor said.


( Read More )

Party at 111 Howard – Part 2
Daria and Jane left the Morgendorffer's house at 5:00. “So, what did Trent say?” Daria asked.

“The Spiral will be there at 5:30,” Jane answered.

“Why do I get the feeling that maybe having an early twenties punk band at a Sweet Sixteen party is a bad idea.”

“I don't think so.”

“I hope you're right,” Daria said. As they left they heard the sound of Quinn rifling through her overly stuffed closet.


“Where is that cute shirt?” Quinn asked. She wanted to wear something other than her usual look. Something that would make Sandi jealous, but also not make Stacy panic at the sight of. Quite difficult, but she was certain she would do it. As for Tiffany, she was easy enough to please. She put aside the thoughts of concern for her as she continued to search.

Soon, she found a shirt that was particularly cute. It was perfect! But then the thoughts of concern for Tiffany came back. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about it.


Casa Lane, the ground zero for the chaos that was going to occur later that night, was empty when Jane and her amiga arrived. “We better get started.”

“Yes,” Daria stated. “How much food have you got?”

“Enough for the band to gorge themselves and throw up,” Jane said. She paused. “If they wanted to, that is.”

“And us?” Daria asked.

“Enough for us to, alongside the band,” Jane said as she entered the kitchen. Soon, she was putting out the food. There was more than Daria expected.

“Jane, that is more than enough for us and the band,” she said. “How did you afford it all.”

“Oh, Dani bought most of it,” Jane said nonchalantly.

Daria was surprised “Jesse's sister? She's coming too?”

“Yes, she is. She's a nice girl.”

Daria wasn't sure. They hadn't really interacted as of yet. “So... us, the Spiral and their groupie. Anyone else?”

“Well, any of the Wandering Lanes but that is fairly slim,” Jane answered. She then frowned. “I did tell Ms. Defoe. She might drop by.”

“The list is getting longer...” Daria said with an annoyed tone.

Jane saw the slight annoyance on her friend's face. “Relax, there isn't anyone else.”


( Jane and Daria... )

Night of the Coffee House – Part 2
Twenty five minutes later, the group arrived at the scene of the crime in Trent’s car.

“Ms. Morgendorffer?” One of the officers on the scene asked.

“Daria,” she said holding out her hand.

“Officer Xanthe Peterson,” the officer said. “The officers I spoke to in Highland PD spoke quite highly of you.”

Daria just gave a Mona Lisa smile.

“And who are these with you?” Officer Peterson asked.

“My assistants, including some members of the Lawndale High Mystery Club and siblings of same. You can check with Ms. Li for the existence of the Club,” Daria answered.

Officer Peterson chuckled. “Ha, no! Ms. Li rarely cooperates with LDPD. It’s like she has something to hide.”

“Mind if I take that down?” Daria asked, holding her notebook down.

“I don’t mind at all,” Officer Peterson answered.

Daria wrote down the tidbit about Ms. Li’s lack of cooperation with the Lawndale Police Department and then followed Officer Peterson into the remains of the cybercafé.


( Read More )

The Geek's Expose Part 1
Lawndale
Monday,April 3, 2006
At the Morgendorffer's house, they were watching a home video, from Daria's third birthday.

Young Quinn blew out the birthday candle's first. “Hey! You're ruining my birthday cake!” Young Daria said.

“If only that were all she ruined,” Daria commented.

“Make her stop,” young Daria continued.

“Oh, Daria, she's just a baby. She wants to play too.”

“I was such a cute baby,” Quinn commented.

“Why can't I be an only child,” younger Daria said.

“Yeah, why can't I?” Daria repeated.


( Read More )

Night of the Coffee House Part 1
Lawndale
Sunday, 12 October 1997
It was late at night in Lawndale. It was quiet. It wouldn’t remain quiet for much longer. A small group of people approached a shopfront. Soon, a window was broken and an alarm went off. The group of people scattered, albeit not without a substantial load of computer hardware...



Monday, 13 October 1997
At Lawndale High, Language Arts teacher, Mr. Timothy O’Neil was telling his class about the previous night’s ‘disturbance’. “I thought today we would take a break from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to talk about the real life tragedy last night right here in Lawndale. Let's share our feelings of violation following the loss of our beloved cybercafé, alt.lawndale.com. Who would like to start?”

‘I wouldn’t,’ Daria Morgendorffer thought. ‘Even so, I don’t want to solve the mystery of why you are like this.’

O’Neil continued, looking at Kevin Thompson. “Charles? Charles did you hear me?”

‘You’ve got it wrong!’ Daria thought. She still wasn’t particularly interested in O’Neil’s idiosyncrasies. She had enough on her plate regarding the rest of the school, not to mention Lawndale at large.

“You mean, Kevin,” the quarterback said.

O’Neil looked at his seating chart. “Kevin. I’m sorry. You, uh look like someone else. What do you have to say about last night’s horrible event?”

‘You’re asking the wrong person,’ Daria thought. She had her own opinions about who might have broken into that cybercafé.

“I was home all night. You can ask my parents. Besides, I already have a computer,” Kevin answered.

“No, Kevin, I mean how did the theft make you feel?”

“Um... Sad?” Kevin said in confusion.

‘You’re definitely asking the wrong person,’ Daria thought. It was no mystery why Kevin was the way he was. He had been hit on the head too many times out on the field.

“Are you asking me or telling me?” O’Neil prompted.

“Angry?” Kevin asked.

The teacher decided to ask someone else. “Jodie, how about you?”

“I think the cybercafé served one very particular segment of the community but it pisses me off when people take what isn’t theirs,” Jodie Landon answered.

“That’s how I feel!” Kevin interjected.

“Thank you, Kevin, Jodie,” O’Neil said. “About that word, ‘Community.’”

Daria may not have been in Lawndale long, but she knew where this was going ‘uh oh!’

“Is that the whole idea of a cybercafé? To jack us into the global community? I think what’s so disturbing about this crime is the symbolism involved.” He paused. “Don’t you agree, Jane?”

“No,” Jane Lane answered.

“Suddenly we are cut off. We can’t hail our friends across the globe and say ‘It’s a beautiful day in the cyberhood.’ They didn’t just steal a few computers. They took the symbol of our virtual community. To visit alt.lawndale.com was to come together with the planet,” O’Neil continued.

Daria had enough. People didn’t go to cybercafés for any of those reasons! “Oh, come on!” she said.

“Yes?” O’Neil asked.

“Come together with the planet? By staring at a screen for hours? Sitting in a room with people you never say a word to?” Daria asked.

“Hmm, Interesting point, Dorian.”

“Daria.” She was annoyed that he had got her name wrong.

“Uh, damn spiders. Daria, you believe that while connecting Lawndale citizens to our global neighbors, the cafe was alienating us from each other.”

“I’m saying. If you really miss the place, put a Mr. Coffee in the computer lab.”

“So, in your opinion, what we really need is a return to the traditional coffee house of yore, where you’d watch some performers and share a cup with your friends face to face?”

“You’re a visionary,” Jane said with sarcasm.

“Right here and now, let’s pledge to make Daria’s dream a reality.”

“You mean where there is no crime?” Daria asked.

“The coffee house! We’ll plan it, locate it, raise the money and open it.”

Daria sighed again.


( That afternoon... )

Yeager 0.68 Beta, Morgendorffer 1.05 RC
“I'm going to make some bread, Daria,” Helen said as she pulled out a breadmaker and set it on the counter.

“Isn't that what supermarkets are for?” Daria asked, wondering just what her mother was up to.

“The Yeagers are coming for the weekend, and I can't serve them store-bought bread.

“Why not?” Daria asked.

“I haven't seen them for twenty five years, and let's just say they know a different Helen. A Helen famous for her oatmeal pumpkin seed loaf,” Helen explained.

“And just what have you done with this Helen?”

There was then the sound a car horn.

“They're here! I hope they don't think I've changed too much,” she said as she primped her hair.

“Just be yourself. That's what you've always told me.”

“I could kick myself for that,” Helen said.

Daria smirked.


( Read More )

Mysteries of Lawndale 02 The First Party – Conclusion
They soon entered Steve Taylor’s home office. It was a well organised and efficient space. Two of the walls were occupied by bookshelves filled with books and folders. Opposite the door, in front of the window was a computer desk. The computer was a new model. Daria was certain that it had Windows 95. Indeed as she looked around, she saw the Microsoft sanctioned sticker alongside the ‘Intel Inside’ one.

“Ok, turn it on. But be sure to use the knuckle, rather than then the end of the finger,” Daria said.

“Sure,” Upchuck said. He turned the computer on.

Daria, had her cameras working, so she recorded the appearance of the office. The computer turned on. Then there was a snag. It had Windows NT 4.0 rather than Windows 95. ‘He must have installed it after buying the computer,’ she thought as she looked at the ‘use alt control delete to log in’ box. “Okay, turn it off again.”

“Would that be wise?” Upchuck asked.

“He won’t know it was us who turned it on,” Daria said.

“Sure,” Upchuck said. He switched the computer off.

“Let’s go back downstairs,” Daria said.

“Sure, we’ve been up here long enough,” Jane said.


( Read More )

Time and the Titanic – Part 2
Soon, Stacy had got ready.

“I'm ready,” she said as she entered the time vehicle. She placed her supplies next to Quinn's pile of clothes and Daria's food and water. With the five girls, it was a tight squeeze.

“The Titanic?” Jodie asked.

“Of course,” Stacy said.

“Entering co-ordinates,” Jodie said.

Location: RMS Titanic Stern Section
Time: 1912, April 14th 8:50 PM local time.

“Ready to go?” she asked once the coordinates were complete.

“Yes,” Daria answered.

Jodie pressed the button.


( Read more... )

Quinn’s Code 14 Wedding Trouble – Part 2
It was uncomfortable. Daria figited. It was just as she had feared. The dress was ill fitted and to make it more infuriating, the seemstress was continually pricking her with a pin. She silently steamed. 'She is incompetent!' she thought. Not for the first time.

“Nature didn't see fit to give you much in the way of hips, did she, dearie?”

“That shouldn't be a problem!” Daria said, with a merely annoyed tone.

“Turn around please.”

“Oh, Scarlet, You grow lovlier by the day,” Jane said in a southern accent while batting her eyebrows.

Daria sighed. “I'll kill you.”

Jane merely smiled.



( Read More )

Quinn’s Code 14 Wedding Trouble – Part 1
Thursday March 23, 2006
1111 Glen Oaks Lane
It had been an ordinary day at Lawndale High. Daria Morgendorffer was releived to be approaching home after such a long day. However that relief was soon to vanish.
As she came to the door she could hear her mother talking on the phone with her aunt.

“Rita, that's so wonderful. I'm so happy for you! You and Erin both,” her Mom said.

Daria turned to her friends, Jane Lane and Jennifer Burns. “Ah, you better take a hike,” she said, with some seriousness.

“Why?” Jane asked.

“Why?” Jennifer asked at the same time.

“My Mom's talking to my Aunt Rita. This aint going to be pretty,” Daria explained.

“I see,” Jennifer said, remembering what Daria had told her Mom's relationships with her sisters.

“Gotya,” Jane said. “Later.”

“Bye,” Jennifer said.


( Daria entered the kitchen. )