fardell24

21 A View of Oakwood and Ruins
Quinn Morgendorffer was driving to Oakwood with Joey Green through the forest.

“Thanks for driving me, Quinn,” Joey said.

“You’re welcome. After all, we’re friends,” she said. “And we have been working together for a while.”

“Over two months,” Joey said.

Quinn saw something ahead in the forest. She had driven past the mound before, but something had changed. “I’m going to have a closer look,” she said.

“Quinn?”

“We have time.”


They parked near the archaeological site, as Quinn was sure it was.

“You want to know what they have found?” Joey asked.

“Yes,” Quinn answered as she got out of the car. She had a feeling it was important. ‘Not the Spider Sense, exactly,’ she thought. She looked and saw that only one other vehicle.

“I hope this won’t take too long.”

“Enough time to find out what he’s looking at,” Quinn responded.


Professor Bigham Alder saw the two teens approaching. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“We were driving from Lawndale to Oakwood,” the girl with dyed brown hair in shoulder length high pigtails said. “And I saw that something was happening at this mound.”

“I have permission to investigate this site to learn more about the Pre Columbian ruins here.”

“That’s so interesting,” the girl said.

“It definitely is…”

“Quinn, and this is Joey,” Quinn said as she indicated the boy.

“I’m Professor Bigham Alder. I had started earlier this week. Usually, I do research at Lawndale State.”

“I was wondering if you could show us around,” Quinn said.


( Read More )

Norman Osborn was looking at the latest email regarding a replacement for the Goblin Glider when the assistant messaged him.

“The Fourth Vigilante is here to see you, sir.”

“Let her in.”

“Yes, sir.”

A minute later, the Enigma stormed in, with her hands glowing faintly.

“I know why you’re here, Sandi,” he said after the doors were closed.

“Do you?” the Enigma asked, as the glow intensified.

“You’re going to ask me why I am having you and the others followed. The answer should be obvious.”

“That you don’t want us to be in your way as you plot to gain more control over Lawndale?”

“That is a strong word,” Osborn said.

“That is what you’re doing.”

“You don’t have proof of that, and I know you’re not in the school paper.”

“I’m not, but, like, I am still investigating what you are up to, along with whatever else in Lawndale that you may not be responsible for,” the Enigma sot

“So, you’re not seeing the hand of Oscorp in everything?”

“No. There is a line between suspicion and conspiracy theories.”

“But I’m sure you’re engaging in the latter regarding SpiderGirl,” Osborn taunted.

“I’m not! She is overhyped, playing up the fact that she is Lawndale’s first superhero, and getting the credit for everything.”

“That is why I am doing what I’m doing!”

“No it isn’t,” the Enigma shot back. “You want to bring her down, as well as Ninja Talon, the Shadow and Dafoanairi.”

“I neither confirm nor deny, but I say that you are a variable that I could capture right now.”

The Enigma raised a forcefield. “Not without a fight and a lot of damage to this office, and you would have to explain to Harry why his friend disappeared.”

“That’s true. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try, or make something up.”

“You’re going to test me? You think I haven’t prepared?”

“I know you have some ace up your sleave, but yes,” Osborn responded become pressing a button and a panel opened revealing several of those pumpkin bombs.


Dafoanairi was ready, especially when she saw the window of the office open and one of the Enigma’s energy projections was shot out. She quickly moved to the window as the Enigma ran out.

“I know someone else is there,” Osborn said from inside the office.

Dafoanairi remained silent; she didn’t want Osborn to try to identify her from her voice, even if she was disguising it by pitching it higher. She let down a rope to a lower ledge.

“Let’s go. I did what I came to do,” the Engima said.

‘Which wasn’t much,’ Dafoanairi thought.

( Read More )

It was still quite early when Daria arrived at the Historia. It was early enough that Angie was still setting up the café when she arrived.

“You haven’t been this early before,” Angie said.

“I wanted to get here with plenty of time to spare before school.”

“It has been one of those weeks, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. But every week is different. This time last week, the robodactyl had just appeared and the fake interview was about to happen that night.” Daria answered.

“Don’t remind me,” Angie said, as she checked the coffee machine. “Over a month since Groundhog Day.”

“I’m looking into something a lot less troublesome, although it’s still troublesome in a different way.”

“You mean the knock offs? Mom told me there aren’t that many coming into her store asking about them.”

“There aren’t?” Daria asked.

“There haven’t been. But maybe most would know that the boutique wouldn’t have them.”

“That could be it.”


Peterson arrived at the Historia shortly after seven. She saw that Daria was already there, waiting for her breakfast. She went to order a coffee first.


“Morning,” Daria said when Peterson had sat across from her.

“You’re here early.”

“I wanted to be sure that I met you this morning, as I’ll be busy with the play this evening.”

“You mean the new rooftop activity?” Peterson asked.

“Yes. I encountered one yesterday evening.”

“And the Enigma?”

“She did too,” Daria answered. She didn’t mention the fact that the Enigma had damaged a house in dealing with him. ‘She would think she’s more of an antihero than she already is.’

“And you have suspicions.”

“Oscorp, but there’s still no proof.”

“And actual proof might be difficult to obtain,” Peterson mused.

“Even if the other heroes may have had their own encounters.”

“Yes.”

“And then there was Tania last night,” Daria added.

“Tania Ashworth? What happened?”

Daria explained what had happened.

( Read More )

Dafoanairi saw Tania running up. “What’s wrong?” she asked as she held her staff in a ready manner.

“I was in the park, and then there was someone following me,” Tania explained.

“There is someone nearby. It could be one of those agents,” the Enigma said.

“Agents?” Tania asked.

“Oscorp, intimidating the hero vigilantes by having them followed,” Dafoanairi answered.

“As if people in Lawndale aren’t on edge enough!” Tania responded. “What’s your plan?”

“We were doing our usual late-night patrolling and rescuing,” Dafoanairi snarked. “But if you want to go home, we can take you there.”


Tania thought for a moment. ‘It’s probably a good idea to go home.’ But she did also enjoy the occasional night with the two heroes as they did what they did. ‘And they seem mismatched, but they work.’

“Tania?” Dafoanairi asked.

“Not yet,” Tania said.

“We were headed to the Giant Strawberry,” the Enigma said.

“It is a good lookout spot,” Tania said. “But on a cloudy night like this?”

“Things can still be seen,” Dafoanairi said.


At the Strawberry, the town still seemed quiet, but the Enigma was able to spot some agents as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop downtown. “That’s about four or five so far,” she said after fifteen minutes.

“Four or five too many,” Dafoanairi murmured.

“It’s not like you can fight them all,” Tania said.

“A war between the heroes and Oscorp wouldn’t be good for Lawndale,” the Enigma said. She thought about her encounter with the agent an hour before, and the damage she did to the that house. ‘More buildings damaged, but at least it got off a lot better than the Lawndale Center.’

“That’s an understatement,” Dafoanairi said.

“So, what will you do about it?” Tania asked.

“Not sure yet,” Dafoanairi admitted. “But we can’t just lie low. That won’t be good for Lawndale either, and it would be like admitting defeat.”

( Read More )

After school, Daria changed to Dafoanairi on the school roof. She looked over towards the Oscorp headquarters in the distance. ‘I know you’re planning something for this town. But, not if I have anything to say about it.’ She then headed off in the direction of the Historia.

However, she was almost there, when she noticed that the man that had joined her on the rooftops shortly after she had left the school was still a couple of buildings behind her. She stopped and turned around while twirling the staff. “I don’t think you’re a new vigilante,” she said.

“No,” he said as he came closer.

“Tell Osborn that Lawndale is under our protection.”

She saw him tense up.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he deflected in a hard tone.

“And you made a mistake. I can tell that you were hired by Oscorp to harass Lawndale’s heroes. But the thing is, we know this town better than you do.”


Dafoanairi then ran off to the west, towards the suburban sprawl in that direction. She quickly jumped into the trees as she headed westwards, and lost the man. ‘I still need to get to the Historia rather than home,’ she thought as she took a breather a couple of blocks west of the downtown.


Stacy saw Daria enter the café out of breath.

“Usual tea,” Daria said as she came up to the counter.

“Are you OK?” Stacy asked.

“I’m fine. I just did some jogging,” Daria answered.

“I think it’s more than that.”

“I was also thinking about what’s going on.”

“Same here,” Stacy said. “But that’s not all. I have noticed things since the Historia has opened.”

“Like?” Daria asked in a wary tone.

Stacy took a deep breath as she made sure her hands weren’t trembling. “I have noticed the vigilante heroes hanging around here.”

“And you’re thinking I’m one of them?” Daria asked quietly.

Stacy nodded. “I don’t know which one, and I will keep the secret.”

Daria took a deep breath. “Thanks. We’ll have to talk more later, but for now, I want to rest a bit.”

“Sure.”


Daria thought about it as she waited for Stacy to make the tea. She remembered Quinn telling her that Stacy had photographic memory. ‘But not just anyone would be able to piece it together. They would if they were here as much as Stacy has been.’ She took out her notebook.

Historia regulars
Stacy Rowe – barista in the afternoons
Angie Zammit – barista in the mornings
Quinn Morgendorffer – barista and theater manager
Daria Morgendorffer – bookstore manager, playwright and director
Joseph Green – partner
Robert Allen – partner
Elisabeth Rowe – café manager
Jane Lane – Set Designer

‘There are more of course,’ Daria thought. Others who had been hired, and the actors in the play.

Donna Bolton – barista
Brittany Taylor – actor
Tania Ashworth – actor
Dani Moreno – Special Effects

‘That’s a stretch. She’s only been here nearly two weeks,’ Daria thought.

Sandi Griffin

Daria crossed the name out. ‘She’s not here that often. I don’t think Stacy has seen her as the Enigma, but she might have.’ She wrote some more names down. Then looked at Jane’s name again. ‘I think her being abducted rules her out, and the Shadow hasn’t been seen here.’ Even so, she didn’t cross it out.

Stacy brought the tea over. “I see you’re thinking about it. The others.”

“Yes. But now is not the time.”

“It isn’t?”

“I have to get ready for tonight’s rehearsal,” Daria answered. “But I will be here early in the morning.”

“I’ll be here,” Stacy said before heading back to the counter.

Daria turned back to the sheet and put it away. She didn’t know who would be looking in the café.

( Read More )

The Enigma left the facility the way she had come in. “SpiderGirl is sure to be far away by now,” she said to herself. ‘But I’m not far from the Giant Strawberry.’ She headed in that direction.


Tania saw that Dafoanairi was still there after the service had ended. “You must have a reason to stay,” she said.

“I did want to talk with you about what’s happening in town further.”

“Here? In the park?”

“I was thinking of the Historia,” Dafoanairi said.

“Up on the roof again?”

Dafoanairi nodded.

“Sure.”


The Enigma looked at the town through a telescope on the top of the Giant Strawberry. The town looked peaceful, but she knew that belied the reality. ‘It’s not like Osborn has another glider that can be seen,’ she thought after fifteen minutes. She then glanced at the Historia and saw two figures on the top. “Can’t make them out, as the Moon isn’t full,” she murmured. ‘I know it isn’t SpiderGirl, but it could be Dafoanairi. I’ll go and tell her about what happened.’

( Read More )

The Doctor, the Morgendorffer sisters and Peter Parker begin investigating Lawndale for who may be responsible for the portal. Team Possible also enter Lawndale through the portal and investigate themselves. Kim and Ron run into the Doctor after a mysterious flicker affects Lawndale's electrical infrastructure.

fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14486471/2/Convergence-on-Lawndale

Archive Of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/67097887/chapters/173246860