Back to school




The night was humid, and I was glad I had changed to my tanksuit leotard for
the remainder of the summer--the breeze created as I flew wasn't exactly cool,
but it did serve to keep me from overheating. I landed on the QCB office in
west Sylvania and took a long pull on my bottled water. Even though the
building was only 5 stories, it was the tallest building in the area and
provided a good view of the local neighborhood. Everything seemed quiet
though. A city like mine seldom sleeps--but at two in the morning most of
Sylvania had pulled itself into bed. The bars had closed, and the Council's
new curfew seemed to have helped as well. I finished my water and got ready to
leave. I was tired and couldn't wait to get back to the air conditioned
comfort of my apartment.

But a pair of headlights caught my eye, and I saw a dark van prowling up Vine
street. This late, it should have been moving faster but it crept along. I
soared that direction, watching from above. About 2 blocks ahead of the van, I
spotted a young girl, walking. The van was paralleling her course and I was
alarmed. The girl rounded a corner, and I intercepted her.

"Wha? White Owl?" she asked in a stunned voice.

"Did you know you were being followed?" I asked.

At that moment, the van pulled around the corner, covering me in its bright
headlights. The driver hesitated, then accelerated out of the area. I turned
back to the girl.

"There's a curfew out, you know," I said.

"I..I know," she stammered. "But I just had to get out for an evening. I
didn't do anything wrong, honestly."

I looked at the girl..."Well, I didn't see you doing anything but
walking...errr?"

"Monique," she said. "My name is Monique. I'm fifteen and I'm a student at
Ridgeway Academy. But I was ill over the weekend, and couldn't use my off
campus privileges. I just needed a night out."

I studied her intently. Monique was tall, well spoken and oozed charm. I
remembered my own days at boarding schools and smiled. "I understand. Lets get
you back to the school before anyone else decides to do follow you."

"I'll be fine Ms Owl," she said. "The academy is just a block up from here."

"I'd feel better knowing you got home all right," I said. She nodded and we
walked the block to the gates of Ridgeway. The gates were locked and chained,
but Monique squeezed through the bars with no effort.

"I should be fine from here. Promise you won't report this?"

I drew an X on my chest. "Cross my heart." Monique flashed me a smile, and
headed into the grounds.

I flew on home, yawning as I came in through the terrace. Daisy looked up
lazily, then plopped her head on the sofa again. I scratched her ears, then
sat down. I pulled off my gloves and boots, then headed up to take a cool
shower before dropping into bed. Since my marriage, the bed seemed large and
lonely without Val, but he was busy in Singapore with some delicate
negotiations. We would meet up in another week when he came to Queen City for
the week. I yawned once, then rolled over and was soon asleep.

RIDGEWAY ACADEMY

"You little fool, you were almost caught!" The strident voice of Charity
Ridgeway scolded Monique as the girl sat restrained in a desk in the special
classroom.

"And what's more, White Owl is the one who stumbled on you!"

"I didn't realize she was around. Sylvania isn't usually on her route on
Tuesdays." Monique flinched as Ridgeway's open fist cuffed her cheek.

"You must ALWAYS be prepared for the unexpected. We can control OUR actions,
our timetables, but there are free agents that can alter a plan at a moment's
notice. You did well to stall any suspicions. And as I have always stressed, a
truth is far better than a lie in dealing with these so called 'heroes'."

"Then I did well?"

I will give you a B. You handled the situation as it developed well, but you
failed to prevent it. On the other hand, you DID manage to bring home the
goods I sent you out for. I think a bit more training in logic and self
defense are required though. You're grounded this weekend."

Monique's face fell, then she gathered herself and nodded. "May I go to bed?"
she asked.

Ridgeway kissed Monique on the forehead. "Of course my dear. Sleep well."

QUEEN CITY MUSEUM CENTER, TWO DAYS LATER...

One of my jobs as the archaeologist in residence is to give educational talks.
So I was surprised when I saw Ridgeway Academy on the roster for a tour. "This
is new Cassidy," I said to my petite co-worker.

Cassidy giggled. "You're not the ONLY one with interesting exhibits, Athena."
she said. "They're coming to see my new modern art exhibit." I let it go at
that. I admit, I was dying of curiosity, but I kept my distance, and stayed
busy in the lab wishing Hef were there, as we had a new exhibit on the new
4,000 year old hut found in Northern Ohio.

But Hef's duties had called him to the other side of the world, so I was
running a lot of data on my own.

Ajay Chatterjee stuck his head into my office later that afternoon, frowning
as usual. "If you had been here, instead of traipsing around San Lorenzo, this
discovery might have been another fine feather in your cap."

I sighed, loudly, then got my pluck up again. Turning to Ajay, I said, "First,
I think the San Lorenzo expedition did WONDERS for the museum. The Gold Jaguar
Goddess mask brought in over half a million guests, and we got more publicity
from that, than anything you've shown in the last few years. Secondly,
Prehistoric Ohio isn't really IN my wheelhouse as an archaeologist."

"But prehistoric Greece, Egypt and Central America are?"

"And the Western tribes--the Hohokam and others, yes. You've got a doctorate,
Ajay, you KNOW the further up the chain one gets, the more specialized one
becomes. I'm still blessed to be able to have a broad base."

Director Chatterjee frowned and harrumphed. "I suppose you're right Doctor.
Still, it would be nice if..."

"If people broke down the doors of the museum on a Thursday afternoon?" I
finished. "I know, but when would the other work get done."

Ajay looked around. "Don't you have an assistant to help you?"

"He's taking some time off. And he answers to me, not you."

Ajay sniffed. "Very well. I assume he'll be available sooner rather than
later." I kept my mouth shut, but worried about the same thing. I wasn't sure
what either Argos or Hef was up to.

The afternoon passed, and I left to head home to Daisy. She meowed loudly as I
entered and paraded to the empty cat food dishes.

"Good heavens! What a negligent owner you have," I said in mock horror. I
filled the dry food bowl fist, and watched as my cat turned up her nose. She
did an impatient dance as I opened a can of Seafood Supper and emptied it
carefully into the special dish. She sat up on her haunches as I held the bowl
up, and dove nose first into the food as I set it down. I scratched her back,
watching it arch, then went to sit down.

After a short stint updating myself on the comings and goings in Queen City, I
dressed for my second job. The old leotard was just perfect, as the heatwave
hadn't broken yet. I pulled on my short boots, then glided out from the patio
into the muggy air. The city seemed calm, with the Gems out of town and only
the Baptists at the convention center. I banked west over the Kosterman Hill
district, then plowed over northside and toward Sylvania. Things were calm,
and I was about to make an early night of it when I saw a train of flashing
lights speeding up Montgomery road. I decided to follow, in case I could be of
help. Several squad cars pulled into the Great Skates roller rink, where a
large fight was going on. The police seemed to be handling it though,
containing the crowd, and breaking up the fight. I banked away and saw a light
flash three blocks over, near Esaski's pawn.

I lighted in the alley beside Esaski's. The street was quiet; with several
cars parked on either side of the mixed residential street. Nothing seemed to
be stirring. But I could see the alarm system had been hacked, and the side
door of the pawn shop had been forced. I balled my fists and waited. I didn't
have to wait long--the door opened and a slender figure, clad head to toe in a
dark spandex suit slipped through the door. From the silhouette, I could tell
it was a girl; and she had a large satchel slung over her shoulder. Two more
girls slipped out the back with her.

"Hold it," I said. "It's WAY past curfew, and I don't think any of that stuff
is yours."

"White Owl!" came a shrill response.

I smiled, stepping forward. "I don't want to hurt you, so if you give up now,
I'll make it easy."

"We're not giving up. We weren't taught that way," said a taller girl in the
back. She raised a gun, aiming it at me. Three shot rang out, and I laughed as
the NuSilk costume did its work, deflecting the bullets.

"Care to rethink that?" I asked, stepping forward. "I asked nicely, but I see
you need some convincing."

>>From behind me, I heard a squeal of tires. A canister rolled into the alley,
spewing a thick gas at my feet. Caught by surprise, I began coughing as the
tear gas filled my lungs. I backed into the wall, desperate to get away from
the gas, and the tears. In the confusion, the robbers got out of the alley and
into the van. I finally clawed my way out of the alley and into the fresh air.
I waited a few moments to allow my lungs to clear, then made my way to Police
Headquarters.

Police Headquarters, early morning...

"I can't help but think they were ready for me," I said to Captain Winslow. My
eyes were still stinging from the tear gas, but my lungs were clearing and the
cup of strong coffee was helping me feel more like myself. Still, I couldn't
wait to get home to a shower and a good workout with my Loofah.

Winslow took a sip of his own coffee, and frowned. "It follows a pattern in
the city, too. Usually there's a large disturbance, requiring a large police
presence to break it up. And that's when there's a smaller, private event;
well-planned and bypassing the security systems, almost as if they had someone
on the inside.

"Is that a possibility?" I asked.

"I might think so, if the victims all used the same security system; or even
two of the systems. But they've all used different systems. So we're looking
at someone on the outside I think. Someone with a way to break the computer
systems."

"But they used young girls, at least in the robbery I...encountered."

"That might be a clue, or it might be a copycat though. We can't say for
certain." He looked around for his cigarettes, then smiled and popped an
Altoid. "Anyway, this isn't really a Special Crime Unit case. Captain Brenaman
might be upset if I give you much more than that. Frankly, we're stymied too."

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"I would suggest you go home, and clean hard. Here," he tossed me a bar of
soap. "This is the disinfectant soap we use here for tear gassed victims. It
will get the stench off better than anything. Then a good night's sleep and
you can attack the problem tomorrow with a fresh mind."

I frowned, then yawned, and coughed. "All right Captain, you convinced me." I
tucked the soap into my belt, then the captain escorted me to the roof. I
waved goodbye, then headed toward my Victory Park digs. Daisy barely looked up
from the sofa when I wandered in. I got into the shower and scrubbed hard,
then slipped into a camisole and some panties and got into bed. Fifteen
seconds later, there was an eight pound thump as Daisy landed to claim her
place on the corner of the bed.

Sleep fought me, but this was a fight I eventually won.

Ridgeway Academy, Early Morning...

Charity Ridgeway lined the three young women up. "Do you know how long you've
had to plan this?"

Amber cleared her throat. As team leader it was her duty to take the blame.
"We've had three weeks, Miss Ridgeway."

"Three Weeks! And despite all your planning, you FAILED to bring me anything
of value from Esaski's. I happen to know there's a fine stash of diamonds
there. So what happened?"

Amber frowned, her blonde hair curling tight against her head. "We got in all
right, but White Owl showed up. I guess Courtney and Yvonne were startled.
They panicked. If it hadn't been for Mr. Brown and the School Bus hadn't shown
up, we would have been caught."

Miss Ridgeway frowned. "Twice in two attempts White Owl has interfered in my
business. We cannot have that happen again." She whirled on the trio of girls.
"As of right now, you are all on probation. Fail me again, and you're finished
at the academy. The world will not treat you as kindly as I have. And you know
what expulsion means?"

The girls gaped in shock, but nodded. They would not fail again.

"Good, I see you understand. Now as to extra credit, I want you to find a way
to capture and contain White Owl. I think its time we enrolled a new pupil in
the Academy."

Victory Park, Athena's apartment

The ringing phone cut through the haze of early morning. I fumbled at my
nightstand, and found it. "Hlo?" I mumbled.

"Is that any way to greet your husband?" came the calm, reassuring voice of
Virgil.

"I'm sorry, baby, but you woke me out of a sound sleep."

"At 8 in the morning? Wow, you must have had quite a night."

"It was a gas," I said. "Brought tears to my eyes."

"Do you want me to come sooner?" he asked.

"No, that was part of our agreement. I can handle this. I have to share you
with the world. But I also have to be able to pull my weight."

"I miss you Thena," said Virgil. "And Singapore is so far away."

"And Capetown and Johannesburg are almost as far," I replied. "You need to be
at that conference, Virgil."

"I know," he said. "But I will be there next weekend, for a whole week. Think
the cat will put up with me?"

"She adores you, Virgil," I said.

"I know, Sterling is still complaining about all the fur she left on my
comforter last time you were here."

I smiled. "She is a shedding machine, I'll grant him that."

I looked at the clock, and frowned. "Sweetheart, I'd love to chat, but its
Friday morning here, and I need to be at the Museum in 25 minutes. I'm already
on Chatterjee's bad side, and I don't need to make it worse."

"I could make another donation?"

"No, we discussed that, too. You do enough for the Queen City Museum. Together
we both do. I'll get past this, too. I love you, but I must be off."

"All right Athena. I'll see you next Friday Night." The line went dead.

I dressed quickly, and grabbed a sausage biscuit and coffee from the drive
thru then rolled into the museum at 9:02. I managed to sneak into my office
before Ajay saw me.

Friday dragged by. The Museum was sparsely attended, as people were getting
out of town for a four day weekend. I didn't have to be back until Tuesday
myself, as Ajay had decided maybe he HAD been overbearing. (It didn't hurt
that it was also my turn at the top of the vacation list.) I said goodbye to
Hef (who had shown up Thursday with a colossal bruise on the side of his
head.)

"Are you going to be OK?" I asked. "How did that happen?"

Heavy box fell," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "And I hit my head on the
stove on this side," he added, forestalling any questions.

It was at times like this that I was grateful for my body's increased healing.
I rarely had to answer questions like that. Still I frowned at Hef. "Well, all
right, but be careful. And no tackling the Midgaard Serpent without me," I
said, glancing at his large stack of books dealing with Cryptids.

"That's not until Thanksgiving, Dr Nikos," he said, with a smile. I wasn't
sure whether he was serious or not. I smiled and left, heading for the Jeep. I
picked up some groceries (especially for Daisy) then got home about 7.

I made a light meal and took a nap, letting my mind race. I rose just before
midnight, then dressed and checked my phone. There were no updates from
Captain Winslow; but I did note an alert of a large crowd getting unruly near
the convention center.

"The Baptist convention" I asked with a quizzical look. Remembering Captain
Winslow's comments about these disturbances masking thefts, I considered what
might be close to the convention center, but far enough out an errant police
car might not see it.

The Queen City Modern Art museum was close, but the guards stayed all night. I
realized that probably wasn't the target. But I lucked out when I remembered
the Merchant's library was hosting an exhibit of antique children's books. A
whole collection would be worth a small fortune, and hard to trace provenance.
The private library has a good security system, and a small guard unit, but
when I landed at the delivery gate, I found the door ajar and the guard
unconscious. I opened an ammonia caplet and waved it under his nose. He
groaned and sat up slowly.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"I..I think so. What hit me?"

"I'm not sure. Stay here, call 911 and get both the police and an ambulance."
He nodded and took my cell phone.

I crept inside. The Merchant's Library is an anachronism--a a private,
subscription library started early in the history of Queen City. It had been
host to lectures by Dickens, Twain, Bryan, Rogers, and many other influential
thinkers through the years. Also over the course of years it had amassed a
small but valuable collection of rare books and artifacts. I'd cataloged some
of the exhibits, and knew the values of their various collections.

>>From the rare book area, I saw the glow of a mag light. I crept closer to
the door, hearing the voices of young women inside. I smiled, knowing I
wouldn't be taken so easily this time. I slipped my nose filters into place,
then stepped into the room.

"I admire your dedication to your studies, ladies, but the library is closed.
I'm afraid you'll have to spend the night in the juvenile..."

"It's White Owl!" I heard. A gas canister rolled my way again. I smiled and
stepped through, catching one of the girls by her arm and tossing her back
into one of the soft chairs she sat quickly as the gas effectively put her
down. The other two looked on in fear, running past me and into the library,
leaving their ill gotten gains on the floor. I left their compatriot on her
chair and chased after them.

My speed was better than theirs, and I managed to catch up to them at the
loading dock. But by the time I got there, one of the girls was returning from
the sliding garage door, with another wriggling girl in her grasp, a fearsome
knife at the girl's throat.

"OK White Owl, let us go or we will cut this girl up."

"Whoa, slow down, no one needs to get hurt." I looked at the hostage girl and
realized it was "Monica?""

I'm sorry, White Owl--I'm bustin' curfew again." she cried, tears big in her
dark eyes.

I sensed motion behind me as the burglar I'd left behind groped her way into
the room. Monica's captor looked up and I used that moment to strike, kicking
the blade away, then following up with a punch, knocking her to the ground.
"RUN!" I shouted at Monica. Call the cops and hurry."

Monica ran out the dock door into the street. The fracas didn't last long;
none of the girls had super powers. I had them down quickly. As I knelt over
them, leaning in with my handcuffs, I heard Monica return. "The police are on
their way," she said breathlessly.

"Thank you," I said. "You were a big help and ..."

WHANG!!!!!

An aluminum baseball bat concussed the back of my head. Reeling in pain, the
stars and tears filled my eyes. I rocked back, slowly moving. In my dazed
state I saw a malevolent smile on the face of Monica as she dropped the bat.
Before I could respond Monica performed a perfect, spinning, jump kick,
slamming her foot into my jaw. Staggering like a drunk I somehow managed to
avoid her knee aimed between my legs. However the youngster reacted
suprisingly fast and pressed both of her thumbs in my eyes. The pain caused me
to lean my head backwards as I screamed in agony. Monica then drove her knee
hard in my belly which made my cheeks puff. I scrabble for breath, striving to
stay conscious, but Monica yanked my hair to force me to my knees.

"The great White Owl brought to her knees by a schoolgirl" Monica chuckled
with a triumphant smile.

I wanted to say something but two more punches to the back of my head dropped
me to the ground in a daze.

Monica pulled a large straightjacket from her backpack and gave it to the
girls. In a very short time I was trussed up then loaded into the white panel
van.

"Welcome back to school, White Owl," smirked Monica. "I hope you survive the
rest of your initiation..."

"I think she's waking up, Miss Ridgeway," I heard a girlish voice saying.

"So soon?" I would have thought the sedative would have worked better."

I cracked an eye and looked around a bit. I was in an office somewhere. My
hands were limp and my costume felt odd on my body. I jumped as I felt a rap
against my gloved knuckles. I sat up straight, eyes focusing on a severe woman
with platinum hair. Her face was one of fading beauty with just a hint of age
around the eyes. I knew who she was immediately.

"Charity Ridgeway, I presume?" I said with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Or
should I say Gina Amorana? "

"So you've heard of me?" she said, nonplussed by my revelation. "I should have
realized the Wisdom of Athena was in there somewhere." She tapped the side of
my head with her ruler.

I looked down, and saw my costume had been replaced with a white uniform; one
the students at Ridgeway Academy wore. Additionally two heavy bracelets hung
on my wrists As I pulled one arm up, I felt the other bracelet move on its
own. Frightened, I put my hand to my face.

"Calm down, White Owl," purred Ridgeway. You may have penetrated MY double
life, but yours is still safe...for now. Your little adhesive is proving too
strong for our solvents, but I'm assured we'll crack it by the end of the day.
I TOLD YOU I WAS NOT TO BE DISTURBED!" She glanced over my shoulder, and I
followed her gaze.

Behind me, I saw Monique with a look of obedient fear on her face. "Yes
ma'am," she said, stepping out of the office, her demeanor subservient. The
door shut behind her and I heard a click as the lock set. I turned back to
Miss Ridgeway.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why what?" asked Ridgeway.

"This elaborate setup, a school, these thefts. Why all that?"

Ridgeway smiled, then caught herself, masking her face in cool indifference.
"Because I was cast off White Owl. Gina Amorana was once an important woman in
Queen City; the lover of Giovanni Cafazo. But when the Mancaris moved in, when
they took over the rackets here in Queen City, I was pushed aside. My poor
Giovanni was relegated to Meadowbrook with his family and I wasn't a part of
his life any more. The Mancaris had their own ideas how things should be run,
and again I was pushed aside. I'd gone from being somebody to being a nobody.
And I didn't like how that felt.

"But it was when I learned Aldo Mancari had put a contract on my life that I
decided to fight back. I was born in the streets White Owl, a poor little girl
with nothing more than looks and brains. I made my move, breaking into
Cafazzo's offices, and impressing him by stealing his ring, and a few thousand
dollars. He didn't catch me, but made me an offer when I returned his items to
him.

"I didn't work for his vice ring; he made me an office assistant. I tagged
along after him everywhere, like a glorified secretary. But I also listened,
and learned the workings of his entire empire""I knew where his money was
hidden, where the bodies were, and who ran what""which businesses he
controlled. And when that Empire was toppled, I was there. I scooped up what I
could and ran. I knew that I would be no match for the Mancaris. But I also
swore I would never be poor again.

"I took what money I could scrape together and took title to this old
orphanage. I started to recruit young girls from the street, from the system
and and from juvenile. And I taught them all the street skills, the glamour
skills and more. They were going to be well trained, polite, high society
everything I wasn't. But they were also going to be so much more. My first
class was trained and placed into the work force."

"As call girls," I said.

Ridgeway laughed mirthlessly. "No no/ I knew what corporations support the
community. Which ones manage the computer infrastructures, which security
firms cover the best jewelry stores, the banks, and so on.

"Some of my young ladies are placed into these companies""in positions where
they have access to information. How the police are dispatched, what the
access codes are for the traffic lights, the alarm codes, the cameras, the
ATMs. My organization is small, but strong, and untraceable. "

She slammed her fists onto the desk. "Until YOU came along! You see things
differently. If we stayed beneath the radar, we'd still be safe. But you found
Monique. Then you nearly stopped my girls at the pawn shop. You became a
liability. But one I thought we could turn into an asset."

Ridgeway moved to a small refrigerator beside her desk and removed a syringe
and small vial. She pushed up the sleeve on my jumper and exposed an arm. "So
you're going back to school, White Owl. You're going to give up all your
secrets, and allow us to remold you into a proper graduate of the Ridgeway
Academy. She jabbed the needle into my arm and I winced in pain.