Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[siobhancan99]

"of course I'll be around! I'm trying to get my girl to come down next weekend but she's so good with kids. Her sister is Elise's age. Either way, Elise can come over and I'll make dinner. I get home about 530. Does she have any dietary restrictions?" She knew human kids were plagued with food allergies. "Also if you could let me know your screen time policies and her bedtime and all that. Just write it all down." She never watched kids before, and now she was extra desperate to get Gabi to come down. Maybe she'd offer her money. "maybe we can hit the pool friday night before it closes." She nodded. "lets confirm next week what the plan is."

Heading inside she texted with her dad, making arrangements to looka t cars up in cottersville on saturday. Then face timed a bit with Gabi before turning in for the night. She got up in the morning, unenthused for work and threw on minimal makeup, a polo, and some Khakis.

 

[Halcyon638]

“Great,” Sid said. “I’ll definitely let you know once I know for sure. She’s going to be so psyched.”

Monica was just cleaning up after breakfast when she received an email letting her know her employment was still in a temporary holding pattern. The email from Jonah Tompkins was all apologies but just as vague as the interactions the day before. Again, he counseled patience and suggested the “incident” might be resolved by Monday.

Her father leapt at the chance to give her car shopping advice, as if the whole of his middle-aged life had been leading up to such a moment. Gabi, not working until the evening, tagged along and cheerily clung to her girlfriend as they walked through the rows of vehicles in the oppressive heat.

“Ooh. That one has plenty of room in the backseat,” she noted as James stepped away to grab another cup of dealership coffee, smiling impishly.

Monica’s father made his way over. “So. What are you thinking?” he asked, glancing over at some of the models they’d viewed most recently. “Remember, you don’t have to make a decision today, despite what our new best friend Jensen might want.” The overly amiable salesman waiting in the wings, talking with a coworker.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nodded to her dad. She'd done her research. Fleet cars only, as they had low mileage and good maintenance. She wanted an Elantra or a Mazda. the Elantra was more available as a fleet car, but there was a well maintained low mileage mazda on the lot. It was more cramped than the other, but cheaper and more fuel efficient. "I think the Elantra. If I'm going to be hauling Gabi and my stuff back and forth on breaks and whatnot, I'll want the extra space."

She'd brought ten thousand dollars with her for the down payment, given to James. She had cash for the whole thing, but she needed to establish credit and that meant getting a loan at an exorbitant rate. Worth it though, as she didn't have school loans and she would want a pretty solid credit rating before she bought a house. She also had her mother's need to just do things. "the white elantra is fine. Let's get it all signed for. It's basically to drive between here and school and maybe little trips around the city and such."

A few hours of paperwork and denying all the extras later. She had the keys to her new car, financed by her somewhat sociopathic need to punch criminals in the face. It was a weird feeling. She took Gabi and her dad out for pizza after, then dropped Gabi off at work.

Once her girl was safely away, she pulled up pictures of Kalis. "Dad. so uh. Any chance this guy is one of us?"

 

[Halcyon638]

Monica’s father studied the images closely. “Hmm. Jawline’s a little weak. He looks kinda familiar, though. Should I know him?”

When she explained who the middle-aged man was, James Bergenson nodded. “Huh. I’m not exactly up on the latest business news, so that name means nothing to me. Still weirdly familiar, though.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nodded "he seems oddly interested in me. Like it could be run of the mill powerful middle aged pervert stuff, but I dunno. It seems a little blatant for that." She resolved to look into Kalis while Gabi was at work, looking for any information on his career, including potentially a past with the government.

 

[Halcyon638]

James furrowed his brow in concern, taking a sip of his beer. “Oh, does he? I don’t think I need to tell you, but don’t let him pull any of that shit with you. If you get the slightest hint of a bad vibe, you tell everyone in that damned company, okay?”

Her father coaxed her into watching a movie while she waited for Gabi to get out of work, but then she had time to slip away and do some searching.

For the second-in-command of a relatively newly prominent company, a search for Katis yielded plenty of hints. There was a local media source with a fairly lengthy profile of the man with the title: “From ‘the Depths of Despair’ to Triumph: Vigil COO’s and Military Vet’s Amazing Personal Journey.”

Katis, a Prospect City native, had enlisted in the US military after 9/11, eventually becoming an Army Ranger and earning commendations for his combat service in Aghanistan. After being wounded by shrapnel, he had been sent home to his wife and daughter.

In 2007, as Katis was still struggling to adjust to civilian life once more, his wife and 6-year-old daughter were killed in a car accident when a criminal driving 90 miles per hour struck their vehicle while trying to flee the cops. Katis fell into depression and alcoholism, eventually ending up homeless.

It was only in 2012, after years of struggling, that with the support of an old army buddy, he was able to sober up and turn his life around. The last eleven years had been seemingly just an upward ascent, as he earned his bachelor’s and then an MBA, while working his way up the corporate ladder at Vigil. The article depicted the CEO of the company as Katis’s mentor.

Aside from his military service, the only clear connection to the federal government was that Vigil had recently picked up a few government contracts to provide security for certain events, which included visits by foreign dignitaries and tech moguls. There was little information about any recent developments in his personal life, with no mention of a partner or children. The article painted him as almost monastic, with his main pursuit in what little free time he had being spending time in nature.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica hmmmed and felt like a bit of a heel. Maybe Katis just saw his kid in her or something. Maybe men in positions of power weren't all machiavellian schemers. That didn't mean he wasn't one. Just that maybe she should stop doubting everything about some guy who had never actually done anything bad to her. Being the Nighthawk had perhaps jaded her a little bit. He wasn't a Centauri, he wasn't some guy with a string of young mistresses. He was just a guy. Maybe there was something odd about the investigation, but who could tell what the motivation was or even if it was nefarious. Hell, maybe one of them did steal something.

She shrugged, deciding to keep it in the back of her head but otherwise not let it ruin a perfectly good weekend. Picking up Gabi from work, she decided to talk to her about the coming year.

"so" She started, finding the conversation a little awkward. "I know you worked a lot to cover expenses last year so your parents didn't have to. But uh. So." She paused "I uh. Have this Nighthawk merch money and my socials are monetized now and such. I'm like, not exactly rich but I am uh. Embarrassingly, I find myself to be middle class. Like, legit personally middle class. So. I was kind of thinking I'd get us a place and pay the rent and the utilities and such so you only had to work for personal money and you didn't have to ask your parents for money. We could say my mom is paying for the house. In a way that's true, right? I mean, no mom no Nighthawk. No Nighthawk no money." She continued, afraid Gabi would say no if she didn't lay the plan out "And let's be honest. You're going to be a Doctor or a Pharmacist so. You know, making sure you have some free time and aren't overdoing it means you get into a better grad school which means you get a better job after and that means we both do better after school is over. I mean I'm not saying we're for sure getting married or anything like. But I mean I think it makes sense to approach this relationship as if it's going to last and that means sometimes having to make pragmatic decisions like this."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi’s face reddened ever so slightly. She reached up and slowly placed a hand on Monica’s cheek. “That is so sweet, carino.” She kissed Monica’s lips lightly, closing her eyes for a moment. “I’ll…have to think about it. You know how it is with my family. If you’re not working like, all day every day, you’re not working enough. But I mean…it’d be nice to work on studying and volunteering instead of doing so many hours at the pharmacy. And I’ve been working on that…that fantasy story, novel thingy, when I’m not working or with my brothers and sister. Which is not often.”

She smiled shyly. “I think I’ve got it to the point where I feel okay with you reading it. It’s not done. It’s, like, 60 pages.” She reached over to the bedside table where a picture sat of her and Monica taken at Gabi’s graduation party, the two of them grinning and draping an arm over the other’s shoulders.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica looked at the picture, remembering starting to be able to feel happy again around the time it was taken. She wrapped Gabi up in a hug from behind and kissed the back of her neck "I'd like to read it." She squeezed her girlfriend and held her close "So is your mom ok with me staying here or should we go to my dad's?" She would be respectful and not mess around, but after Sarah's reaction when they came out she wanted to be respectful. Sarah had taken the place of her mother in a lot of important ways after her own mother had fucked off into space. "It would be nice to stay here. I used to a lot, when my dad would play in his band remember?" she rested her chin on Gabi's shoulder. "so let me read your story either way."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi let out a contented sound and rubbed the top of Monica’s hand. Her hair still smiled faintly of smoke from the pizza ovens around which she’d spent her day. “Yeah, she’s totally okay about it. The other day she was asking me about wedding dresses. I’m like, ‘whoa, take a step back, Mami.’” She let out a short laugh. “I will.”

Gabi’s story followed a young woman from a noble family who decides to attend an all-female wizard academy to avoid getting married off to a egotistical prince. Although it was early in the story, it was clear it was setting up a potential love triangle between her and a street smart, hardened loner, and a sardonic, refined fellow noblewoman. Aside from a few clunky metaphors and turns of phrase, her writing style was solid, and the story was compelling enough so far. Gabi fell asleep on Monica's shoulder as the older girl used the Latina's tablet to read the document.

The next morning, as Gabi and Monica cuddled up and tried to ignore the sounds of life from the rest of the household, both of their phones chimed. The brunette reached over and picked up her phone. “It’s from Melanie.”

She tilted her screen to show it to Monica.

MELANIE: Good morning. I have an extra ticket to Prospect Harbor Days this Friday and I understand you’ll both be in town that day. I would love to pick up a third ticket and have you both join me.

There was a link describing the event, which spread out over 3 days and saw part of the city’s waterfront transformed to feature food vendors, live music, and other sights and sounds.

 

[siobhancan99]

"Um, we can't Friday because uh. I volunteered us to babysit the neighbor kid." Monica brushed her hand along Gabi's side. "text her back and say we're all in on Saturday and Sunday though if she wants." She kept pressed in against Gabi's back. "I probably should have asked you before I agreed. I'm sorry. Sid's just... overwhelmed I think and his daughter is a cute kid. I figured uh. It would be good for us to see how we are with it. By that I mean me since you're already good with kids."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi grinned when Monica mentioned babysitting. “You still surprise me sometimes, querida.” She let out a yawn and stretched an arm. “Sounds like fun! It’s going to be so great to have the whole weekend off with you.”

She checked the Harbor Days link again. “So…does this invite sound…date-y to you? I mean…it seems a little date-y to me.” Her tone was neutral.

 

[siobhancan99]

"Uh, do you?" She pressed into Gabi's back "I mean she's our therapist. I think she's just lonely." She thought it was possible though. "like, do you ever get the vibe she's hitting on you? You're smoking hot, babe."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi lightly stroked Monica’s ankle with her foot. “No, I mean…I definitely think she’s lonely. And she’s so supportive and easy to talk to. I honestly don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t talk to her about some of the…” The younger girl lowered her voice. “Nighthawk stuff.”

Her toes continued to trace small circles. “She’s never said anything sketchy or, like, done anything sketchy. But I mean…like you say, I’m pretty hot. She’s hot. She knows I know you two were into each other. And we talk about everything together. It’s not crazy to think she goes home after our sessions and thinks about us together, you know? Like, all three of us.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica slipped her hand under Gabi's top and cupped a breast, thumbing the nipple "do you think she does? or do you want her to?" she nipped at her earlobe softly, then pressed into Gabi's back. "I mean my baby does love a threesome" She keeps her voice gentle, not mocking but still playful. She nuzzles into Gabi's neck "It isn't crazy to think she's flicked the bean a time or two thinking about it."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi’s nipple perked up. “God. That would be amazing,” she said, adjusting her position to let Monica better conform to her soft body. “We’d have to be careful. I know she has feelings for you and I think she may have feelings for me now, so…I get the feeling she’s not looking for just a one-time thing. She’d probably be looking for…like, at least a friends with benefits-type of situation.” She reached up and stroked Monica’s cheek, then looked down at the display of her screen again. “What do you think?”

 

[siobhancan99]

"Do I think it would be super hot to fuck my smokeshow therapist and my girlfriend? yes." Monica laughed and pinched Gabi's nipple, tugging it a little "But. I think that's probably something we should leave to a fantasy. Like, she's our therapist. Fucking her seems like an enormous mistake.Also if it goes south she knows stuff. It's like, just. It's a super hot idea that I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about but I think we should probably also not do it."

 

[Halcyon638]

“I guess that makes sense,” Gabi said, placing her hand atop the hand squeezing her breast. “I’m just glad to hear I’m not the only one who was thinking about this.”

Gabi fired off a quick text:

GABI: That’s so sweet of you! Unfortunately we already told someone we would babysit for them on Friday night. Thanks again!

The rest of the weekend went quickly, with Gabi and Monica going for a short day trip in her new vehicle. There were still no updates regarding work when Monday morning came and went.

Around 2:30, Monica heard a knock on her door. “Monica Bergenson?” Standing outside her door was a 30-something man in a slightly rumpled suit and a mostly shaved head, and a middle-aged, heavyset woman with blonde hair in an updo. “I’m Detective Amato and this is Detective Roy. Can we come in?”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica opened the door and stood aside, gesturing for the two to enter. She sized them up, deciding she could take them both if need be. The thought made her relax. Also she had nothing to worry about as she definitely hadn't stolen anything. She led them into the small apartment, then sat in a chair sort of catty-corner to the couch. She did not offer them anything to drink. "So what can I do for you? I mean I assume this is about the work stuff, but let's get into it."'

 

[Halcyon638]

“We have a few questions we’d like to ask you,” Amato said, walking into the apartment with a confidence to his stride.

The two detectives began to question Monica, asking much the same questions that the Chief of Security had asked her. It was Detective Roy who did the bulk of the talking in her Southern accent and neutral tone. The male detective slowly made a circuit of her living room. At one point, he paused near a photo of Monica and Gabi embracing, then moved along.

“This is a nice place you got here,” he observed. “You got a roommate? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?”

Roy glanced over at him, a blonde eyebrow arched at the question.

 

[siobhancan99]

"Girlfriend. She's my best friend from home. She's in Cottersville taking care of her challenged brother and her little sister while her parents work. Is that relevant detective? I mean are you asking if I went so crazed with sapphic lust that my poor female brain made me steal company secrets to fight the pallacrocy or something? Because if that is your question it's intolerably stupid. If it isn't your question maybe we could stick to things that matter and keep your thoughts out of my underwear. I don't want to ask to be interviewed by only female detectives from here out, but I'm not averse to it. Look, I'm here to help you and I don't mind questions about work because I didn't fucking steal anything, but you're for now a guest in my home, so maybe act like you still want me to be cooperative." Monica arched an eyebrow "Honestly I find the whole thing ridiculous. Look, all we've gotten is super vague questions. What was even stolen? Nobody knows. Why? because this is probably fake. Let's run down what we know. 1) we know that nobody's saying what's missing. Probably because nothing is missing, but 2) if something is missing then it's either a copy of information that was passed to competition, or a physical device."

She got up and got a Dr. Pepper, then got out a second one, gesturing to the female cop to see if she wanted one. Either way she'd take it and some pretzels over and put them on the table, aimed towards Roy. "so. if it's data, how did one of us get it out? devices have to be white listed. I can't just take my phone in there and connect. It's a god damn security firm. So there's no way to get the files emailed out except using work email or something. So that they should be able to track and be like 'gosh who emailed this huge file out'" She consired maybe there was a way to get it out on USB, but she wasn't going to interrupt her monologue. "so that leaves physical devices. Except, we're fucking interns. We don't get to just pick up super secret proprietary tech and put it in our fucking pockets. That shit is signed out. So if it is missing, maybe try Abercrombie. Or the guy who's responsible for the room they keep that stuff or whatever. You know who doesn't have access? the freshman intern."

 

[Halcyon638]

For a moment, Monica saw an expression of intense rage building on Detective Amato’s face. A few second later, it was gone, replaced with a tight, smug grin as he folded his shoulders across his chest and listened, nodding every so often.

“You’ve been very cooperative,” Detective Roy said. “We don’t—”

“Maybe you would be more comfortable with a female detective.” Detective Amato looked down at his phone as if uninterested in the response. “All I was asking about was, does anyone split the rent with you on a place like this? Maybe Mommy or Daddy footing the bill?”

“Mike,” the blonde detective said.

“Not that hard a question,” he said, slipping his phone back into his coat pocket.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica stood and walked over to Amato, looking him in the eye, then stepped into his personal space,. Not enough to touch him, but enough to trigger, to make him feel threatened. She assumed he'd react badly. Frankly, she wanted him to. "I'm going to infer based on your partner's reaction to your questions that this isn't standard procedure. That you didn't ask Wendell if he was gay. That you didn't ask personal questions of anyone else on my team. You looked at the picture of me and Gabi then you asked about partners, emphasising the word girlfriend. So, I am left with two conclusions to draw. One, you are a fucking homophobe and seeing the picture of me and my girl triggered you somehow, or two this intrusion into my personal life was directed by someone. Someone who maybe paid you to get personal information about me. Maybe an older male executive at my workplace that is behind all of this nonsense. So." She leaned in, "First, my father paid 100 percent for school and my personal life last year, so I get to spend every dollar I make this summer on this apartment. That's to answer your absolutely transparent cover question you asked in a vain, dare I say pathetic attempt to cover up your fuck up in asking about my personal life. So now I want you to answer my question. Are you an insufferable bigot? or are you the catspaw of some fucking shithead at work who will no doubt, in a week or so, come around and offer to 'mentor' me or 'help me through this difficult time' because it's one or the other."

 

[Halcyon638]

Amato looked Monica in the eye, still sporting the hint of a grin, like a high schooler being chewed out by a teacher in front of his classmates trying to project he wasn’t taking it seriously.

“That was all of our questions,” Detective Roy said in a conciliatory tone. “Thank you for your time.” She produced her card and extended it toward Monica. “If you think of something else.”

Both cops headed toward the exit. “You have yourself a good night now,” Amato said with affected earnestness. Roy pulled on his forearm.

 

[siobhancan99]

"I think I'm gonna put your partner on blast on Tik Tok for being a bigot, and I think I have a famous friend who will amplify that. I expect a call from your captain with an apology and the news he's been disciplined. My video should be up by Wednesday."

She took the card. "I'm sorry you have to work with him, but hey. Maybe not after Wednesday."