Spider Quinn 11 The Huntsmans Part 5
Sep. 7th, 2024 07:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fardell24Peterson and SpiderGirl entered the hospital room, and saw that Sarah Robyn was reading a book that she had found in the room. She put the book aside as they came over.
“Can you answer a few questions?” Peterson asked.
Sarah Robyn’s lips parted, but no sound came out. She shook her head. She then gestured for a piece of paper and a pen.
“Here,” Peterson said, as she handed over a pen and an empty notepad.
Sarah Robyn started writing.
“That isn’t good,” SpiderGirl whispered to Peterson.
“I have seen it before, unfortunately,” Peterson whispered back. “Trauma induced muteness.”
“What can be done?” SpiderGirl asked quietly.
“Therapy, what else?”
“Of course.”
The officer then noticed Sarah Robyn glaring at her.
“Sorry.”
“And, what do you think of the Barksdale legacy?” Tananda asked, as she looked at the last question on the list.
“It’s complicated,” Helen admitted. “Some of them were Plantation owners in the South before the Civil War, with all that implies. But their successors were supportive of Black people in their struggles. I was inspired by my own Father’s support of his Black workers. That is why I try my best at ensuring that Vitale, et al isn’t biased against people of color, and other minorities.”
Tananda smiled. “Good answer. Thanks for your time.”
“I also hope this has been a lesson to you. Like everything, reporting requires balance. Reporters used to know that. You don’t want to know how many cases I have dealt with that involved overzealous reporters.”
Tananda silently took that in.
SpiderGirl looked at the time as Peterson read Sarah Robyn’s notes. She went up to her. “I’m sorry, I have to get going. It’s nearly Dinner time, and I have something tomorrow I need to prepare for.”
“I understand,” Peterson said, a slight smile on her lips.
“Thanks,” SpiderGirl responded before leaving.
Peterson turned back to the notes, although not before musing on the superheroine. She had some suspicions as to her identity, but didn’t want to voice them.
SpiderGirl arrived back at the Morgendorffers as Tananda was leaving. ‘I guess she did rewrite her questions,’ she thought as she swung over the house into the back yard.
“Quinn?” Daria asked as she saw her sister enter through the kitchen door.
“I’m home in time for dinner, aren’t I?”
“Actually, I was wondering how well you’ve been preparing for the Spelling Bee tomorrow.”
“I’m confident that I will do well. At least better than Sandi,” Quinn responded as she sat across from Daria.
“Why is Sandi doing it anyway?” Daria asked.
“I think it’s out of rivalry. She still blames me for the Fashion Club’s demise.”
“That makes sense.”
Sarah Robyn’s mother arrived at the Hospital and was shown into the room where her daughter was. She saw Officer Peterson there.
“Alex Brown, Sarah Robyn’s mother. What has happened to my daughter?”
“It seems that someone attempted to brainwash her!” Peterson answered.
“Brainwashing?” Alex asked in alarm.
“And it has caused her to become mute. The doctors are running more tests. The results should come back tonight.”
“Oh.” She walked over to her daughter and hugged her. “I will help you through this. Even if I never hear your voice again, I will support you.”
Sarah Robyn sobbed silently as she tightly gripped her mother.
Jane and Trent got home after a long afternoon. What the outcome would be at the compound where she and the other two heroes found the cheerleaders, Jane wasn’t sure. All she knew that the future was uncertain for them and that her paintings would be as dark as the night and her superheroine costume.
After Dinner, Daria quizzed Quinn on various words. She was impressed with her sister’s determination and preparation. She said so.
“Thanks, Daria,” Quinn said. “It means a lot.”
Later in the evening, SpiderGirl went out again. She hoped that the situation at the building between Lawndale and Middlebury would be resolved with the rescue of the cheerleaders.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Friday January 26, 2001
Oakwood Cheerleaders found in mysterious compound
One cheerleader was rescued and brought to Cedars of Lawndale by SpiderGirl. Hospital Staff and Police have not released details of her condition. Meanwhile, the Lawndale County Sherrif’s Department remains in a standoff with the occupants of the compound.
Nick Fury looked out at the early dawn after pushing the Lawndale paper aside. He pondered whether it was worth it to wait, or for SHIELD to try to rescue those unfortunate girls SpiderGirl hadn’t been able to get out. He decided to call Agent Bell as soon as he was sure that she was awake.
SpiderGirl headed out from the Morgendorffers shortly after sunrise and headed towards the Hospital. She wanted to check up on Sarah Robyn before going to school and the Spelling Bee.
Officer Peterson had come back on duty early and returned to the Hospital. When she arrived at Sarah Robyn’s room, she saw that SpiderGirl was already there.
“Thank you for rescuing my daughter,” Alex said. Obviously SpiderGirl had just got there before her.
“You’re welcome,” SpiderGirl responded.
“Officer Peterson!” Alex said as she noticed her.
“Good Morning.”
The tired mother looked at both the Officer and the superheroine. “There has been no change. She is still not speaking.”
Peterson saw that Sarah Robyn was sleeping. There was that at least, but she knew there would be nightmares.
SpiderGirl looked down, her mask hiding what had to be an expression of sadness. “I see. I have some time before, so…” She went and sat on one of the chairs, next to Alex.
“You can stay,” Alex said. “I may not live in Lawndale, but I have been following your exploits.”
SpiderGirl stayed for a while, hoping that Sarah Robyn would wake and say something.
Sarah Robyn did wake, but she reached for the notebook upon seeing the superheroine nearby.
‘I don’t know what I would be enduring now if you hadn’t come.’
SpiderGirl then hugged the patient, the action showing her what her hidden face could not. Sarah Robyn’s expression had told her volumes. She had a haunted look in her eyes, that told her that she wanted to talk, but could not.
As Krista Bell served breakfast to her children, her agency phone rang. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
“It’s alright,” one of her daughters, Kristen, said with an understanding smirk.
Krista retreated into her home office and closed the door. “Fury?”
“Yes, it is I,” Nick Fury responded. “We need to intervene in the Cheerleaders situation. How soon until you’re ready?”
“Give me two hours to gather the agents and get out there.”
“Make it an hour and a half, time is of the essence.”
“Understood sir.”
SpiderGirl headed out from the hospital with promise to return later in the day, ready to face the Spelling Bee.
At Lawndale High, there was an atmosphere of anticipation. After arriving at school, Stacy searched for Quinn. She found her talking to Tori near the Library. “There you are!” she said.
“Morning, Stacy.”
“Are you ready?” Stacy asked, bouncing up and down.
“Yes!” Quinn answered with enthusiasm.
“That’s good,” Tori said. “We need some good news.”
“Tori?” Quinn asked.
“It’s that my second cousin is one of those who is missing….”
“Oh!” Stacy responded, tears welling up.
“That the police or the hospital won’t release details of the condition of the one SpiderGirl rescued…”
Quinn placed her hand on Tori’s arm, showing her the expression she couldn’t show Sarah Robyn earlier.
“Thanks, Quinn.”
Brittany was happy to return to Lawndale. The chase through the compound had been harrowing, but she was relieved that they had been able to rescue Sarah Robyn. She entered the hall to see that most of the students had entered to watch the Spelling Bee.
Quinn may have been ready and feeling confident, but Sandi was a different story. She was a bundle of nerves. She wished she could disappear, but that wasn’t a power she had.
Brittany sat next to Daria.
“Hi, Brittany,” Daria said.
“How do you think Quinn will do?” Brittany asked.
“Very well. She has been practicing all week.”
“That’s good.”
And so, the Spelling Bee started.
Quinn was confident. She and Daria had prepared well. She spoke out each letter without hesitating. “R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y; Responsibility.”
She continued through the words, getting them all right.
Other students also went well, although some of them made mistakes. They accepted their defeat with grace.
Sandi was a different story.
She hesitated as she took in the first word, feeling the stares of the student body in front of her.
“Consequence. C O N S E Q U E N C E. Consequence,” she eventually said.
“You are correct.”
Sandi smiled, she had overcome the first hurdle. But as each word came, her anxiety intensified.
“Accentuation.”
“Um, Accentuation…” She paused. She knew what the word meant, an unusual emphasis. But she wasn’t sure she could spell it. The stares of the audience finally got the best of her. “A C E N …” she realised her mistake and then bolted from the stage in panic.”
“Sandi?” Mr. O’Neill asked after her as she ran off.
“Uh oh!” Brittany commented as she saw Sandi run off.
“Probably stage fright,” Daria said.
“Yeah! But someone should see if she’s OK?”
“I’m sure someone will,” Daria said.
‘Leaving now probably isn’t a good idea. I need to see Quinn win,’ Brittany thought. “Where’s Jane?” she asked.
“She’s here somewhere,” Daria responded. “I saw her before homeroom.”
Quinn stepped up to the podium again, undeterred by Sandi’s dramatic exit.
“Determination. D E T E R M I N A T I O N. Determination.”
“And our winner is Quinn Morgendorffer!” Ms. Li proclaimed.
The student body leapt to their feet in applause, Daria included.
As the students left the auditorium to go to their usual classes, Daria caught up with her sister. “I knew you would do it!” she said.
“Thanks.”
As the Spelling Bee ended, A convoy of SHIELD vehicles left Lawndale, heading towards the compound where the missing cheerleaders had been found by the heroes. “We are leaving Lawndale now sir,” Agent Bell reported.
“Let me know when you get there,” Fury responded.
“Understood, sir.”
They soon arrived but the Deputy in charge confronted Bell. “I’m afraid, SHIELD doesn’t have jurisdiction,” he said. “It’s a Lawndale County matter.”
“Director Fury disagrees,” Bell responded. “He wants the abductees rescued as soon as possible.”
“Then I’ll talk to him.”
“Be my guest.”
“The situation can’t go on. My team needs to go in now, with or without your assistance. I would rather have it, than not.”
“I disagree. Storming the premises now might doom the abductees.”
“That may be, but I have to think of the larger picture. Not just the abductees. Not just Lawndale County. The world.”
“Be as it may, your agents are not entering that building.”
“I can override you, but that will take time. Time that those cheerleaders may not have. Time for misinformation born from speculation to spread. We need to nip that in the bud.”
But the deputy still refused, leaving Fury to have to negotiate his way through the mess, which took another hour.
“You now have the go-ahead,” Fury said to Agent Bell.
“Finally,” Bell responded. She turned to her team. “We go in.”
‘Ms. Hunter’ hadn’t been idle. She had spent the night preparing. She had gone over what was known about SpiderGirl and her allies so far as well as the public information about SHIELD. She had increased security around the room where the sedated girls were at, and the others confined to their rooms, ready to be used as a last resort.
The SHIELD agents approached the front entrance, and found themselves under fire. So, Agent Bell ordered a retreat. But they had an ace up their sleeve. Fury had sent Agent Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, to Lawndale County for the operation.
Therefore Hawkeye infiltrated the compound, to search for the Cheerleaders, and to locate ‘Ms. Hunter.’
He soon found that the room that SpiderGirl had told Peterson of was highly guarded. ‘I need to distract them,’ he thought. Fortunately, he had the arrows he needed. He shot a fire alarm sensor.
As the fire alarm went off and the guards scattered, he moved towards the door. Upon entering the room, he reported to Agent Bell. “It’s exactly as SpiderGirl described. We’re going to need more people in here.”
“Understood,” Bell said.
“I’m going to search for the Hunter person now.”
‘Ms. Hunter.’ Wasn’t idle. She tried to get the fire alarm deactivated after Hawkeye triggered it. “Why must I be surrounded by incompetents? I guess I have to use my assets.” She picked up a radio, to talk to those she had managed to ‘turn’. “There is a SHIELD agent in our midst. Capture him!”
Hawkeye was alert as he moved through the building. He then heard more guards approaching. He took out some stun arrows…
Having taken them out, he checked them over, and was shocked to see that they were teenage girls. ‘Are these some of the abductees?’ he asked himself before reporting the find to Bell and Fury.
The Latter said that he did need to find ‘Ms. Hunter,’ as soon as possible.
SHIELD Quinjets approached the site. Fury was taking no chances.
Hawkeye got lucky and cornered ‘Ms. Hunter’ on the stairs up to the helipad. “I’ve got you covered and quinjets are their way. You have no chance of escape.”
“There is always a way to escape.”
“What?” Hawkeye asked. He quickly fired a stun arrow, but it missed. He then ran up the stairs.
‘Ms. Hunter’ walked out onto the helipad. She may have lost, but she and her associates had other plans away from Lawndale that SHIELD wouldn’t interfere with. Besides, the helicopter had equipment that would allow her to escape the following quinjets.
Hawkeye tried to fire an incendiary arrow at the helicopter as it took off, but the vortex from the blades was unpredictable. He sighed as she made her escape.
At the same time, the quinjets surrounded the compound. However, ‘Ms. Hunter’ fired at one of them and took off.
“Her helicopter has disappeared off RADAR, sir,” Bell reported. “She’s gone.”
“Search the area where it disappeared,” Fury ordered.
Back at Lawndale High, Mr. O’Neill’s class was ready to present the Journalism assignments. “First up, are Daria Morgendorffer and Tananda Watts.”
Daria went up first. “We learned that journalism requires balance. That trying to delve too deeply, with intrusive questions can be counterproductive, especially when trying to gain one’s trust.”
“Therefore, trust needs to be gained before conducting an interview, so the journalist can get what they want,” Tananda added.
“Now, you are going to read out some of your questions and answers.”
Tananda then realised that the week had been a test for her. Of her ethics, that if she had gone ahead with her original questions, she would have been later called into Ms. Li’s office and would have faced some rather difficult consequences.
As it turned out, Brittany had had the time to do an interview of her own, with Mack, despite the investigation around the cheerleading competition. She also did well.
Brittany and Quinn met at the Library at the end of the school day. “Congratulations for the Spelling Bee!” Brittany said.
“Thanks,” Quinn said. She looked around. “Listen, I’m going to be at the Hospital for a while, could you fill in for me?”
“Sure,” Brittany said. “I’ll do it.”
“Angie’s going to be at the Historia tomorrow, so I can catch up with her then.”
SpiderGirl headed towards the Hospital from the School, as Ninja Talon headed into the downtown to patrol.
Sarah Robyn had spent the day either reading or trying to sleep, her experience still flashing up into her mind. She was awake when SpiderGirl entered the room. She smiled.
“I did say I’d be back after school,” the superheroine said as she sat next to the mute girl.
‘You’re still in school?’ she wrote.
“Yes,” SpiderGirl answered quietly, just loud enough for her to hear.
‘How do you do it?’
“Time Management, and not enough sleep.”
‘You should have enough sleep,’ Sarah Robyn wrote with a concerned look.
“Nightmares, I saw my father die.”
‘You shouldn’t have said that,’ Sarah Robyn wrote, concerned that the superheroine might accidentally reveal her secret identity.
“Point is, I’m still grieving. I’m learning from it. It’s what makes me who I am as a superhero. With great power comes great responsibility.”
Sarah Robyn took that in. ‘And?’
“And I am overcoming my trauma as I continue as a superhero and with the support of my surviving family members and my friends, even if they don’t know that I do this.”
‘Resilience, is that it?’
“That’s right.”
SpiderGirl spent another hour keeping Sarah Robyn company. Then Peterson came in, in plain clothes. “SpiderGirl, Sarah Robyn. I may not be on duty at the moment, but I can share some news,” she said before telling them of the SHIELD operation and ‘Ms. Hunter’s’ escape.
“It’s not good she escaped,” SpiderGirl said. “Others may fall victim to her.”
“That’s true, but Sarah Robyn’s teammates have been rescued. They are now in the hospitals in Oakwood and Middlebury.”
Sarah Robyn wrote ‘Thank goodness.’
“I’ll tell you more when I can,” Peterson added.
The two stayed in the room for another half hour before SpiderGirl left.
Helen saw Quinn enter through the side door. “How did the Spelling Bee go, Quinn?” she asked.
“I won!” Quinn proclaimed. “But Sandi got stage fright and left.”
“Oh?”
“I’m not sure what happened with her.”
“It’s great that you won. Maybe we could go out and celebrate,” Helen said.
“Maybe not tonight,” Quinn said with a yawn. “It’s been a long week. Besides the grand opening of the Historia is tomorrow. That will be a celebration.”
Helen chuckled a little. That was an understatement. What news there was pointed to many Lawndale High students going, including Daria, which she was glad for.
After dinner, Quinn opened her sketchbook. ‘There has to be a way to make a mask more expressive,’ she thought. ‘A way for my facial expressions to be shown on the mask without it being uncomfortable, or showing my face.’
She then brainstormed ways that she could make that happen. She spent a couple of hours coming up with various designs involving lightweight materials and servo motors.
‘It’s a start,’ she thought as she looked at the time. She then set out on patrol, hopeful that the night would not be busy.
In what looked like an abandoned warehouse on the Hudson shore of Jersey City ‘Ms. Hunter’ sat at a computer and entered an alphanumeric sequence. An outline of a man appeared on the screen.
“I hear your operation was thwarted by Fury himself.”
“A minor setback, I assure you. I have other plans in motion, much slower.”
“Still, gaining the attention of the Director of SHIELD isn’t a good thing.”
“I’m, sure he knew of me beforehand. It was those new vigilantes in Lawndale! They were the ones who infiltrated the compound first.”
“Ah, yes, amazing SpiderGirl and her mysterious new assistants. We do have our eyes on her. In any case, I will let you know when I want you to do something. Hail HYDRA!”
“Hail HYDRA!” Ms. Hunter repeated as the screen blanked out again.
“Can you answer a few questions?” Peterson asked.
Sarah Robyn’s lips parted, but no sound came out. She shook her head. She then gestured for a piece of paper and a pen.
“Here,” Peterson said, as she handed over a pen and an empty notepad.
Sarah Robyn started writing.
“That isn’t good,” SpiderGirl whispered to Peterson.
“I have seen it before, unfortunately,” Peterson whispered back. “Trauma induced muteness.”
“What can be done?” SpiderGirl asked quietly.
“Therapy, what else?”
“Of course.”
The officer then noticed Sarah Robyn glaring at her.
“Sorry.”
“And, what do you think of the Barksdale legacy?” Tananda asked, as she looked at the last question on the list.
“It’s complicated,” Helen admitted. “Some of them were Plantation owners in the South before the Civil War, with all that implies. But their successors were supportive of Black people in their struggles. I was inspired by my own Father’s support of his Black workers. That is why I try my best at ensuring that Vitale, et al isn’t biased against people of color, and other minorities.”
Tananda smiled. “Good answer. Thanks for your time.”
“I also hope this has been a lesson to you. Like everything, reporting requires balance. Reporters used to know that. You don’t want to know how many cases I have dealt with that involved overzealous reporters.”
Tananda silently took that in.
SpiderGirl looked at the time as Peterson read Sarah Robyn’s notes. She went up to her. “I’m sorry, I have to get going. It’s nearly Dinner time, and I have something tomorrow I need to prepare for.”
“I understand,” Peterson said, a slight smile on her lips.
“Thanks,” SpiderGirl responded before leaving.
Peterson turned back to the notes, although not before musing on the superheroine. She had some suspicions as to her identity, but didn’t want to voice them.
SpiderGirl arrived back at the Morgendorffers as Tananda was leaving. ‘I guess she did rewrite her questions,’ she thought as she swung over the house into the back yard.
“Quinn?” Daria asked as she saw her sister enter through the kitchen door.
“I’m home in time for dinner, aren’t I?”
“Actually, I was wondering how well you’ve been preparing for the Spelling Bee tomorrow.”
“I’m confident that I will do well. At least better than Sandi,” Quinn responded as she sat across from Daria.
“Why is Sandi doing it anyway?” Daria asked.
“I think it’s out of rivalry. She still blames me for the Fashion Club’s demise.”
“That makes sense.”
Sarah Robyn’s mother arrived at the Hospital and was shown into the room where her daughter was. She saw Officer Peterson there.
“Alex Brown, Sarah Robyn’s mother. What has happened to my daughter?”
“It seems that someone attempted to brainwash her!” Peterson answered.
“Brainwashing?” Alex asked in alarm.
“And it has caused her to become mute. The doctors are running more tests. The results should come back tonight.”
“Oh.” She walked over to her daughter and hugged her. “I will help you through this. Even if I never hear your voice again, I will support you.”
Sarah Robyn sobbed silently as she tightly gripped her mother.
Jane and Trent got home after a long afternoon. What the outcome would be at the compound where she and the other two heroes found the cheerleaders, Jane wasn’t sure. All she knew that the future was uncertain for them and that her paintings would be as dark as the night and her superheroine costume.
After Dinner, Daria quizzed Quinn on various words. She was impressed with her sister’s determination and preparation. She said so.
“Thanks, Daria,” Quinn said. “It means a lot.”
Later in the evening, SpiderGirl went out again. She hoped that the situation at the building between Lawndale and Middlebury would be resolved with the rescue of the cheerleaders.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Friday January 26, 2001
Oakwood Cheerleaders found in mysterious compound
One cheerleader was rescued and brought to Cedars of Lawndale by SpiderGirl. Hospital Staff and Police have not released details of her condition. Meanwhile, the Lawndale County Sherrif’s Department remains in a standoff with the occupants of the compound.
Nick Fury looked out at the early dawn after pushing the Lawndale paper aside. He pondered whether it was worth it to wait, or for SHIELD to try to rescue those unfortunate girls SpiderGirl hadn’t been able to get out. He decided to call Agent Bell as soon as he was sure that she was awake.
SpiderGirl headed out from the Morgendorffers shortly after sunrise and headed towards the Hospital. She wanted to check up on Sarah Robyn before going to school and the Spelling Bee.
Officer Peterson had come back on duty early and returned to the Hospital. When she arrived at Sarah Robyn’s room, she saw that SpiderGirl was already there.
“Thank you for rescuing my daughter,” Alex said. Obviously SpiderGirl had just got there before her.
“You’re welcome,” SpiderGirl responded.
“Officer Peterson!” Alex said as she noticed her.
“Good Morning.”
The tired mother looked at both the Officer and the superheroine. “There has been no change. She is still not speaking.”
Peterson saw that Sarah Robyn was sleeping. There was that at least, but she knew there would be nightmares.
SpiderGirl looked down, her mask hiding what had to be an expression of sadness. “I see. I have some time before, so…” She went and sat on one of the chairs, next to Alex.
“You can stay,” Alex said. “I may not live in Lawndale, but I have been following your exploits.”
SpiderGirl stayed for a while, hoping that Sarah Robyn would wake and say something.
Sarah Robyn did wake, but she reached for the notebook upon seeing the superheroine nearby.
‘I don’t know what I would be enduring now if you hadn’t come.’
SpiderGirl then hugged the patient, the action showing her what her hidden face could not. Sarah Robyn’s expression had told her volumes. She had a haunted look in her eyes, that told her that she wanted to talk, but could not.
As Krista Bell served breakfast to her children, her agency phone rang. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
“It’s alright,” one of her daughters, Kristen, said with an understanding smirk.
Krista retreated into her home office and closed the door. “Fury?”
“Yes, it is I,” Nick Fury responded. “We need to intervene in the Cheerleaders situation. How soon until you’re ready?”
“Give me two hours to gather the agents and get out there.”
“Make it an hour and a half, time is of the essence.”
“Understood sir.”
SpiderGirl headed out from the hospital with promise to return later in the day, ready to face the Spelling Bee.
At Lawndale High, there was an atmosphere of anticipation. After arriving at school, Stacy searched for Quinn. She found her talking to Tori near the Library. “There you are!” she said.
“Morning, Stacy.”
“Are you ready?” Stacy asked, bouncing up and down.
“Yes!” Quinn answered with enthusiasm.
“That’s good,” Tori said. “We need some good news.”
“Tori?” Quinn asked.
“It’s that my second cousin is one of those who is missing….”
“Oh!” Stacy responded, tears welling up.
“That the police or the hospital won’t release details of the condition of the one SpiderGirl rescued…”
Quinn placed her hand on Tori’s arm, showing her the expression she couldn’t show Sarah Robyn earlier.
“Thanks, Quinn.”
Brittany was happy to return to Lawndale. The chase through the compound had been harrowing, but she was relieved that they had been able to rescue Sarah Robyn. She entered the hall to see that most of the students had entered to watch the Spelling Bee.
Quinn may have been ready and feeling confident, but Sandi was a different story. She was a bundle of nerves. She wished she could disappear, but that wasn’t a power she had.
Brittany sat next to Daria.
“Hi, Brittany,” Daria said.
“How do you think Quinn will do?” Brittany asked.
“Very well. She has been practicing all week.”
“That’s good.”
And so, the Spelling Bee started.
Quinn was confident. She and Daria had prepared well. She spoke out each letter without hesitating. “R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y; Responsibility.”
She continued through the words, getting them all right.
Other students also went well, although some of them made mistakes. They accepted their defeat with grace.
Sandi was a different story.
She hesitated as she took in the first word, feeling the stares of the student body in front of her.
“Consequence. C O N S E Q U E N C E. Consequence,” she eventually said.
“You are correct.”
Sandi smiled, she had overcome the first hurdle. But as each word came, her anxiety intensified.
“Accentuation.”
“Um, Accentuation…” She paused. She knew what the word meant, an unusual emphasis. But she wasn’t sure she could spell it. The stares of the audience finally got the best of her. “A C E N …” she realised her mistake and then bolted from the stage in panic.”
“Sandi?” Mr. O’Neill asked after her as she ran off.
“Uh oh!” Brittany commented as she saw Sandi run off.
“Probably stage fright,” Daria said.
“Yeah! But someone should see if she’s OK?”
“I’m sure someone will,” Daria said.
‘Leaving now probably isn’t a good idea. I need to see Quinn win,’ Brittany thought. “Where’s Jane?” she asked.
“She’s here somewhere,” Daria responded. “I saw her before homeroom.”
Quinn stepped up to the podium again, undeterred by Sandi’s dramatic exit.
“Determination. D E T E R M I N A T I O N. Determination.”
“And our winner is Quinn Morgendorffer!” Ms. Li proclaimed.
The student body leapt to their feet in applause, Daria included.
As the students left the auditorium to go to their usual classes, Daria caught up with her sister. “I knew you would do it!” she said.
“Thanks.”
As the Spelling Bee ended, A convoy of SHIELD vehicles left Lawndale, heading towards the compound where the missing cheerleaders had been found by the heroes. “We are leaving Lawndale now sir,” Agent Bell reported.
“Let me know when you get there,” Fury responded.
“Understood, sir.”
They soon arrived but the Deputy in charge confronted Bell. “I’m afraid, SHIELD doesn’t have jurisdiction,” he said. “It’s a Lawndale County matter.”
“Director Fury disagrees,” Bell responded. “He wants the abductees rescued as soon as possible.”
“Then I’ll talk to him.”
“Be my guest.”
“The situation can’t go on. My team needs to go in now, with or without your assistance. I would rather have it, than not.”
“I disagree. Storming the premises now might doom the abductees.”
“That may be, but I have to think of the larger picture. Not just the abductees. Not just Lawndale County. The world.”
“Be as it may, your agents are not entering that building.”
“I can override you, but that will take time. Time that those cheerleaders may not have. Time for misinformation born from speculation to spread. We need to nip that in the bud.”
But the deputy still refused, leaving Fury to have to negotiate his way through the mess, which took another hour.
“You now have the go-ahead,” Fury said to Agent Bell.
“Finally,” Bell responded. She turned to her team. “We go in.”
‘Ms. Hunter’ hadn’t been idle. She had spent the night preparing. She had gone over what was known about SpiderGirl and her allies so far as well as the public information about SHIELD. She had increased security around the room where the sedated girls were at, and the others confined to their rooms, ready to be used as a last resort.
The SHIELD agents approached the front entrance, and found themselves under fire. So, Agent Bell ordered a retreat. But they had an ace up their sleeve. Fury had sent Agent Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, to Lawndale County for the operation.
Therefore Hawkeye infiltrated the compound, to search for the Cheerleaders, and to locate ‘Ms. Hunter.’
He soon found that the room that SpiderGirl had told Peterson of was highly guarded. ‘I need to distract them,’ he thought. Fortunately, he had the arrows he needed. He shot a fire alarm sensor.
As the fire alarm went off and the guards scattered, he moved towards the door. Upon entering the room, he reported to Agent Bell. “It’s exactly as SpiderGirl described. We’re going to need more people in here.”
“Understood,” Bell said.
“I’m going to search for the Hunter person now.”
‘Ms. Hunter.’ Wasn’t idle. She tried to get the fire alarm deactivated after Hawkeye triggered it. “Why must I be surrounded by incompetents? I guess I have to use my assets.” She picked up a radio, to talk to those she had managed to ‘turn’. “There is a SHIELD agent in our midst. Capture him!”
Hawkeye was alert as he moved through the building. He then heard more guards approaching. He took out some stun arrows…
Having taken them out, he checked them over, and was shocked to see that they were teenage girls. ‘Are these some of the abductees?’ he asked himself before reporting the find to Bell and Fury.
The Latter said that he did need to find ‘Ms. Hunter,’ as soon as possible.
SHIELD Quinjets approached the site. Fury was taking no chances.
Hawkeye got lucky and cornered ‘Ms. Hunter’ on the stairs up to the helipad. “I’ve got you covered and quinjets are their way. You have no chance of escape.”
“There is always a way to escape.”
“What?” Hawkeye asked. He quickly fired a stun arrow, but it missed. He then ran up the stairs.
‘Ms. Hunter’ walked out onto the helipad. She may have lost, but she and her associates had other plans away from Lawndale that SHIELD wouldn’t interfere with. Besides, the helicopter had equipment that would allow her to escape the following quinjets.
Hawkeye tried to fire an incendiary arrow at the helicopter as it took off, but the vortex from the blades was unpredictable. He sighed as she made her escape.
At the same time, the quinjets surrounded the compound. However, ‘Ms. Hunter’ fired at one of them and took off.
“Her helicopter has disappeared off RADAR, sir,” Bell reported. “She’s gone.”
“Search the area where it disappeared,” Fury ordered.
Back at Lawndale High, Mr. O’Neill’s class was ready to present the Journalism assignments. “First up, are Daria Morgendorffer and Tananda Watts.”
Daria went up first. “We learned that journalism requires balance. That trying to delve too deeply, with intrusive questions can be counterproductive, especially when trying to gain one’s trust.”
“Therefore, trust needs to be gained before conducting an interview, so the journalist can get what they want,” Tananda added.
“Now, you are going to read out some of your questions and answers.”
Tananda then realised that the week had been a test for her. Of her ethics, that if she had gone ahead with her original questions, she would have been later called into Ms. Li’s office and would have faced some rather difficult consequences.
As it turned out, Brittany had had the time to do an interview of her own, with Mack, despite the investigation around the cheerleading competition. She also did well.
Brittany and Quinn met at the Library at the end of the school day. “Congratulations for the Spelling Bee!” Brittany said.
“Thanks,” Quinn said. She looked around. “Listen, I’m going to be at the Hospital for a while, could you fill in for me?”
“Sure,” Brittany said. “I’ll do it.”
“Angie’s going to be at the Historia tomorrow, so I can catch up with her then.”
SpiderGirl headed towards the Hospital from the School, as Ninja Talon headed into the downtown to patrol.
Sarah Robyn had spent the day either reading or trying to sleep, her experience still flashing up into her mind. She was awake when SpiderGirl entered the room. She smiled.
“I did say I’d be back after school,” the superheroine said as she sat next to the mute girl.
‘You’re still in school?’ she wrote.
“Yes,” SpiderGirl answered quietly, just loud enough for her to hear.
‘How do you do it?’
“Time Management, and not enough sleep.”
‘You should have enough sleep,’ Sarah Robyn wrote with a concerned look.
“Nightmares, I saw my father die.”
‘You shouldn’t have said that,’ Sarah Robyn wrote, concerned that the superheroine might accidentally reveal her secret identity.
“Point is, I’m still grieving. I’m learning from it. It’s what makes me who I am as a superhero. With great power comes great responsibility.”
Sarah Robyn took that in. ‘And?’
“And I am overcoming my trauma as I continue as a superhero and with the support of my surviving family members and my friends, even if they don’t know that I do this.”
‘Resilience, is that it?’
“That’s right.”
SpiderGirl spent another hour keeping Sarah Robyn company. Then Peterson came in, in plain clothes. “SpiderGirl, Sarah Robyn. I may not be on duty at the moment, but I can share some news,” she said before telling them of the SHIELD operation and ‘Ms. Hunter’s’ escape.
“It’s not good she escaped,” SpiderGirl said. “Others may fall victim to her.”
“That’s true, but Sarah Robyn’s teammates have been rescued. They are now in the hospitals in Oakwood and Middlebury.”
Sarah Robyn wrote ‘Thank goodness.’
“I’ll tell you more when I can,” Peterson added.
The two stayed in the room for another half hour before SpiderGirl left.
Helen saw Quinn enter through the side door. “How did the Spelling Bee go, Quinn?” she asked.
“I won!” Quinn proclaimed. “But Sandi got stage fright and left.”
“Oh?”
“I’m not sure what happened with her.”
“It’s great that you won. Maybe we could go out and celebrate,” Helen said.
“Maybe not tonight,” Quinn said with a yawn. “It’s been a long week. Besides the grand opening of the Historia is tomorrow. That will be a celebration.”
Helen chuckled a little. That was an understatement. What news there was pointed to many Lawndale High students going, including Daria, which she was glad for.
After dinner, Quinn opened her sketchbook. ‘There has to be a way to make a mask more expressive,’ she thought. ‘A way for my facial expressions to be shown on the mask without it being uncomfortable, or showing my face.’
She then brainstormed ways that she could make that happen. She spent a couple of hours coming up with various designs involving lightweight materials and servo motors.
‘It’s a start,’ she thought as she looked at the time. She then set out on patrol, hopeful that the night would not be busy.
In what looked like an abandoned warehouse on the Hudson shore of Jersey City ‘Ms. Hunter’ sat at a computer and entered an alphanumeric sequence. An outline of a man appeared on the screen.
“I hear your operation was thwarted by Fury himself.”
“A minor setback, I assure you. I have other plans in motion, much slower.”
“Still, gaining the attention of the Director of SHIELD isn’t a good thing.”
“I’m, sure he knew of me beforehand. It was those new vigilantes in Lawndale! They were the ones who infiltrated the compound first.”
“Ah, yes, amazing SpiderGirl and her mysterious new assistants. We do have our eyes on her. In any case, I will let you know when I want you to do something. Hail HYDRA!”
“Hail HYDRA!” Ms. Hunter repeated as the screen blanked out again.
