Quinn's Code (Daria AU): The Lab Mouse, the Geek and the Convention - Part 4

[fardell24]

Nikki paused the playback on a video when she heard the doorbell. “Anyone going to answer that?” she called. She listened, then merely heard the doorbell ring again. 'Of course, they're too busy,' she thought. She sighed and went to the door. “Hi, Mack,” she said, when she saw Mack and the others with him.

“Hi, Nikki. We're wondering if Brittany is here,” Mack said.

'Brittany?' “I have no idea. She could be hiding from Upchuck somewhere where he wouldn't think she would go,” Nikki said. She remembered Brittany complaining to her about Upchuck on Wednesday. “If you ask me. It's Upchuck that you need to be looking for!”
“Upchuck may have something to do with it, but it's Brittany I have the problem with!” Daria said.

Nikki looked at the misanthrope sister of the popular geek (She still wondered how Quinn managed it in less than a month. Still; anyone who could knock Sandi down to size was appreciated.) “What is this problem?”

“She took the lab mouse that I have been training for Ms. Barch's project.”

'Of course, Kevin would be completely useless in such a project! And it's not uncharacteristic of Brittany to assume that others would want to take Kevin from her.' “I can see why,” Nikki said.

“So you have absolutely no idea?” Jane asked.

“No clue, although you could try Angie's house.”

“We've already been there,” Jane said.

“She suggested here,” Jennifer said.

“Maybe Lisa's house,” Nikki said to Mack.

“We'll go there, then,” Mack said.

“You don't want to stay for morning tea?” Nikki asked. 'I could find out more about this situation, and Daria,' she thought.

“Um, no thanks,” Daria said. “I'd like to keep looking.”

“Come, on, Daria. We can take a break,” Jane said.

“Sure,” Mack said to Nikki. Daria sighed. Nikki smiled.


“What?” Cindy said, confused.

“What?” Quinn asked, turning from a fan artist's booth.

“Look!” Cindy said pointing.

Quinn looked in the direction where Cindy was pointing, and saw Tatiana struggling against a security guard whom was escorting her out of the convention. “Oh dear! Looks like someone didn't like her fanfics,” she said.

“Most likely, but why is she the one who's being thrown out?” Kristen asked.

“She overreacted?” Cindy wondered.

'That's likely,' Quinn thought.


Tatiana was pushed out of the doors of the convention center. “You can't ban me from Lawndale Anime Conventions for life!” she exclaimed.

“Not for life. Another four years. Until you're an adult,” the security guard said.

“This is outrageous! I wasn't at fault!”

“No, but you caused a disturbance.”

“It still wasn't my fault!” Tatiana objected with her arms crossed.


Mack, Daria, Jane and Jennifer took their leave from Nikki's house. “Bye,” Nikki said, after the others had said their farewells.

“So, you also know where Lisa lives too?” Daria asked Mack as they approached the car.

“Yes, she lives somewhere between here and Angie's. This won't take any longer,” Mack explained.

“Somewhere? Are you sure you don't need to go back in and ask Nikki?” Daria asked.

'Quite brusque isn't she,' Mack thought. “I know the address,” he said confidently, after noticing Jennifer wince.


They arrived at Lisa Fisher's house 10 minutes later. The delay was due to the fact that they had to cross one of Lawndale's main thoroughfares, and the traffic signal on their street was red for about 4 minutes.

Jennifer rang the doorbell this time. One of Lisa's many siblings opened the door. “Hi, is your sister, Lisa home?” Mack asked.

“As far as I know,” the young tomboy (or actual boy, Jennifer wasn't sure) said.

“Could you find out?” Mack asked.

“Sure,” the child turned. “Lisa! Some friends of yours at the door!”

“Who?” came the answer down the stairs.

“A guy and three girls,” the younger sibling said.

“I'll be down,” came Lisa's answer.

“She'll be down soon. Come in.”


The group sat in the large living room with Lisa's sibling, until Lisa came down. “Thanks, Lee,” she said.

'Even the name is indefinite,' Jennifer thought. Lee then went off into another room. The sound of a video game system could then be heard.

“So, why are you here?” Lisa asked.

“Brittany was indulging in taking others property yesterday, and we want to find out where she is so we can talk to her about it,” Jane said. Daria grumbled at Jane's description. “Well it's true,” Jane replied.

“What did Brittany steal?” Lisa asked, confused.

“A lab mouse that Ms. Barch had assigned Kevin and I with,” Daria said.

Lisa burst out laughing. “Sorry,” she said. “Well, there's your answer. She's jealous!” she continued with humor still in her voice.

“I'm well aware of that!” Daria deadpanned.

Lisa squirmed under Daria's glare. “I don't know where she is. If she isn't at home she could be anywhere,” she admitted.

“We've been to Angie's and Nikki's too,” Mack said.

“She hasn't been here. She said on Wednesday that she was planning on hiding from Upchuck on the weekend.”

“Did she say she was planning anything specific?” Jane asked.

Lisa then thought. “No,” she said after a significant fraction of a minute.

“We'll keep looking then,” Daria said.

“Yes, go ask Donna,” Lisa said.

“Sure,” Mack said.

“You like something before you go?” Lisa asked, trying to be hospitable.

“We already had something at Nikki's,” Jane said.

“That's fine,” Lisa said. She thought again. “Now you've got me curious. Can I come with you?”

“Fine by me,” Mack said. He turned to Daria. “Daria?”

“I guess so,” she said, although she had reservations about having a large group looking for Brittany. 'It could get out of hand.'

“Let's go,” Jane said.

“I'll just tell my Mom,” Lisa said.


Tatiana sat boredly outside the convention hall. 'This is tedious!' she thought. She wished she had a yo-yo or something. She had already re-read what remained of her print-outs many times. “I shouldn't have been thrown out,” she murmured for the umpteenth time.


The full Valiant pulled up outside a modestly sized white house with a clean yard, fifteen minutes after leaving the Fisher residence. They noticed a few other cars. “Donna's older brother seems to haven't gone back to College yet,” Lisa said.

“Thanksgiving may not have been enough,” Jane said with a shrug.

“I guess so,” Daria said.


Lisa rang the doorbell. A modestly dressed middle-aged blonde woman answered the door. “Hi, Mrs. Bolton, is Donna home?” Lisa asked.

“Yes, Lisa. She's up in her room. Come in and I'll get her,” Donna's mother said.

“Thanks,” Lisa said.

“The others can come in too,” Mrs. Bolton said.

“Cool,” Jane said. As soon as Donna's mother had turned, Jane lifted the polaroid and took a picture.

Lisa glared at Jane. “That's not a good idea,” she whispered as she stepped inside.

“For use in an artwork,” Jane explained.

“I guess so,” Lisa said, uncertainly. She had heard from various other classmates that Ms. Defoe considered Jane to be very good.


A minute later, Donna entered the living room. “Hi, what brings you here, Lisa, Mack?”

“Actually it was Daria,” Mack said.

“I was wondering if you knew where Brittany is?” Daria asked.

Donna looked uncomfortable. “Brittany? Actually, she's in my room,” she admitted.

“She is?” Daria got up and headed to the stairs where Donna had come down.

“Wait, Daria,” Jane said. She and Jennifer also got up.

Daria waited at the foot of the stairs for her two friends to catch up. “Wait, which room is yours?” Daria said when she realized that she wouldn't know which room Brittany would be in.

“I'm not telling you,” Donna said with her hands on her hips. “I'll go get her.”

“I'll wait,” Daria said as she went back to her seat.


Donna returned to her room, where Brittany was gazing out the window. “Brittany? What did you do to annoy that Daria girl?”

“Annoy her!” Brittany squeaked. “She was stealing my Kevvy!” She paused. “Why?”

Donna gave her a look. “You may have been worried about Upchuck, but she's here.”

Brittany sat down. “Tell her I'm not here!”

“She's already knows that you're here,” Donna said.

“You told her, didn't you?”

“Yes.”


Donna came down. “Brittany doesn't want to see you,” she said to Daria.

“She doesn't? Then I'll stay here until she changes her mind.”

“If Brittany doesn't want to see you, she doesn't want to see you.”

“I'm still staying here. Go and tell her that.”

Jennifer placed her hand on Daria's shoulder. “I think that is not a good idea.”

Daria was stubborn. “Maybe not, but she entered my house and took something that wasn't hers. I would rather talk to her, than involve the police.” She turned back to Donna. “Tell her that too.”

Donna sighed. “Would you really do that?”

“Only if I had no other choice,” Daria replied.

Donna thought for a moment. “I will tell Brittany that.”

“Good,” Daria said.


Brittany saw Donna come back into the room. “Is she gone?”

Donna gave a sympathetic look. “She won't leave until she talks to you. She also said that you took something from her house and that she would go to the police about it if you don't talk to her.”

Brittany's eyes opened wide. “The Police? Eep!”

“What did you take from the Morgendorffer's house?”

“A mouse. But it was so that Daria would stay away from Kevin.”
“I see,” Donna said. 'Brittany, Brittany, Brittany, he's not worth it,' she thought.

Brittany looked down. “Kevvy ignored me!” she said forgetting to say that the pigskin channel was responsible, not Daria.

“Still, talk to Daria.”

Brittany sighed, and got up. “I'm ready.”


Brittany came down the stairs after Donna. “I'm here, Daria. I'm not sorry that I took that stupid little animal!”

Daria's voice was low. “I know why you would take it, but I'm not after Kevin.”

“You are!”

“I am not. You can have him. He's only over at my house because Ms. Barch put us together on the science project. The same reason why you're working with Upchuck.”

Brittany twirled her hair in thought. “That's true. I would still have the problems with Upchuck though,.”

Daria, Jane and Jennifer exchanged a look. Why would Brittany still have a problem with Upchuck if they weren't working together? “Right,” Jane said with an eyebrow raised.

Daria turned the conversation back to her intent. “I would like that mouse back!”

“I don't have it here!” Brittany projected.

“Of course not,” Jennifer murmured.

“I know you wouldn't have it here. I hope you didn't let it go,” Daria said, her face in Brittany's.

Brittany glared back. “What do you think I am? Stupid? I gave it to my brother!”

Jane stepped next to Daria and looked at Brittany. “How do you know that he didn't let it go?”

Brittany twirled her hair again. “He had better not, the little creep!”

“Now. I'll give you a deal...” Daria began.

Brittany interrupted. “What sort of deal?”

Daria shot back. “...You give me the mouse back, and you can have Kevin back.” She paused. “If we go to your house now.”

“Upchuck might be there!”

“That would be the least of your worries,” Daria said as she gave a disconcerting smile.

Brittany flinched. “Oooh! We don't have to go now!” she said as she brandished a fist. Daria responded by grabbing the cheerleader by her shoulders.

“Um, Daria, you don't want to do that!” Lisa warned.

“We are going now,” Daria said.

“No!” Brittany said, and promptly twisted Daria onto her back in a martial arts move. Daria leapt up and was promptly restrained by Jane and Jennifer.

“You're good,” Daria said stubbornly.

“Brittany, I think it would be wise to accept Daria's request,” Donna said. She didn't want the stand off happening in her living room to go on for much longer.

Brittany then began to twirl her hair more intently than before.