Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[Halcyon638]

A light breeze dissipated the heat a bit. Both girls’ hair fluttered softly as it passed. “Wow,” Shay said. “I’m…sorry about your boyfriend.”

The brunette glanced over at her car. “Umm…normally I’d invite you to hang out at my place or hit up a bar or something, but I should probably head back. I told my boyfriend I was hanging out with a friend and he gets weird if I don’t get back on time.” She rolled her eyes ever so slightly.

“Thanks for coming. Next time we’ll grab a beer.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica smiled, knowing that at least Shay didn't have to worry about a jealous boyfriend in the way most women did. "Reach out any time. Questions or whatever. Even if you just need to talk to someone who knows what it means to be different." She stood up and put her helmet back on "I'll be around."

Climbing back into the sliver, she headed back, showering and getting into bed. TOmorrow would be a long day, after flying back from Baltimore.

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi texted Monica on her way in to work.

GABI: Good morning, Princesa Hermosa Any chance you could come home this weekend?? I get done at 8 on Friday and then I’m working 4-9 on Saturday, but other than that, fam stuff is pretty light!

When Monica arrived at Vigil headquarters and made her way through the metal detectors, a security guard walked over toward her, a serious expression on her middle-aged face. “Good morning. I’m going to ask you to take a walk with me down to Conference Room 117.” The woman’s tone was almost apologetic. None of Monica's other coworkers were in sight.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica, catching the guard's expression, assumed that she might have all the time in the world to visit Gabi, maybe sooner than she'd have liked. She nodded. Wondering what was up. Someone had made a joke about that exec wanting to fuck her. Was this that? Was she going to get some ham fisted "I know you falsified your time card but if you just put my little dick in your mouth I'll look the other way" bullshit? She'd see. For now she just nodded. She inhaled, then let out a slow breath and made her way towards the room with the security guard.

 

[Halcyon638]

The room was bright, airy, lined with windows giving Monica a view of the building’s courtyard. The large table was empty. “Now, I’m going to ask you to just grab a seat and sit tight for a minute, okay? There was a security incident here yesterday and we’re just trying to get everything settled so you all can go back to work.” She smiled and walked toward the door of the room. “And I’ll just need to ask you not to text your friends, okay? Your coworkers. It’s protocol. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Muffin?”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica arched an eyebrow. Something was up. That meant someone on the team was suspected of doing something bad. "I can turn my phone off if you like" She pulled it out and turned it off, showing the guard and put her phone face down on the table. "I'm good on coffee or a muffin. Thank you."

 

[Halcyon638]

“Thank you,” the woman said at Monica’s offer. “You should be fine to keep it on.” She nodded and smiled, then left.

A couple of minutes passed. Then five. Nearly a full ten minutes passed before the woman returned. “Sorry. Shouldn’t be long now.”

A few minutes later, the door opened again. Russell Katis stepped in. “Ms. Bergenson.” He made room for another person, a tall African-American man who looked to be in his 30s, with closely-cropped dark brown hair and wire-frame glasses. He wore a dark polo shirt emblazoned with the Vigil logo and khakis. “This is Isaac Claypool, our Chief of Security.”

The man’s expression was neutral but there was something folksy about his tone. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Bergenson. Do you mind if I grab a seat?” He placed his hand tentatively on the back of a chair directly across the table from Monica.

“He’s just here to ask you a few questions about yesterday,” Katis said, sounding casual.

“That’s right. And—spoiler alert—they shouldn’t be all that hard to answer.”

 

[siobhancan99]

"It's your conference room" She laughed and gestured at the seat. "Fire away. I mean, nothing really remarkable seemed to happen so." She shrugged, apparently unconcerned but honestly curious. She had a bet the project leaked and they were looking to pin it on an intern. Was that the case? or had someone decided they were perfect patsies? Time would tell. She sat up, leaning in a little to show attention to the questions.

 

[Halcyon638]

Claypool grinned. “As Jodie probably told you, there was a security incident yesterday. The details aren’t important right now. We just really want you to focus on answering as best as you can, okay?”

He folded his hands together neatly on the table. “You said you nothing really remarkable happened yesterday. Do you remember anything strange? Doesn’t have to be remarkable—just anything a little odd, or a little ‘off.’ Any of your coworkers seem a little off? Just acting out of the ordinary in any way?”

Nothing stood out in Monica’s memory as she’d referenced earlier. “You’ve spent a lot of time with these four. I understand you even hang out outside of work together. Have any of them ever talked to you about personal problems? Money problems, maybe?”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica shook her head "honestly? If you review the security footage you'll see that I basically had my face in my computer from 9 to 2. I ate at my desk. There's a heat problem and marketing doesn't want the venting we proposed because of the aesthetics. I get shit like that cause I'm the freshman." She hmmmed, thinking "Um. No. Honestly. Wendell just listens to his music all day. Ishani's weird but she's sweet and smart. Never mentioned any problems really. Nelly has no money issues as near as I can tell." Though Nelly WAS girl crazy so she might sell company secrets to get some sex. She had the tact not to bring that up. "Ethan is a riddle wrapped in an enigma."

She thought back to Nelly. She had broken her leg. Maybe she had medical bills. "So nobody said anything about a security incident but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out you think one of us stole something."

 

[Halcyon638]

“Well, I don’t support that,” Katis said in a light-hearted tone as Monica discussed eating at her desk. “That’s a state of the art dining hall we’ve got here, Ms..”

Claypool arched an eyebrow a bit. “ ‘A riddle wrapped in an enigma’? Can you say a little bit more about Evan?”

Katis’s phone chimed. “Excuse me.” He stepped out of the room, phone pressed to his left ear.

“What about after work yesterday? What did you do with yourself?” the Chief of Security asked casually.

 

[siobhancan99]

"Dude just does not talk about himself with me at all. I try to draw him out but... I dunno. he went to Penn. Maybe he thinks his shit doesn't stink or something. Ivy league you know? I know he's got a girlfriend and he goes to Penn. That's it. Those are the total two facts I have about him." She shrugged "Might be he's just private. Not everyone's as fabulously extroverted as I am. "

She tried the truth when asked about her night before "I had an uncomfortable conversation with the daughter of a family friend who uh. Well let's just say after 20 years of not knowing, she got to find out who her dad was. So yeah." She shrugged and laughed. "I'd honestly rather have been in this room."