Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[Halcyon638]

Porter smiled, working up the courage to actually make eye contact with Monica. “No, you’re…you’re good. I appreciate it. I think I might have to pass on the Krav Maga but I am trying to get into jogging. I jogged the other day for the first time. I think I almost died.”

“I kinda only had two real friends in high school. Both of them are going to school out-of-state. I’ll try to bring them around next time they come back home.”

At one point, once they were back inside, Monica was approached by Gabi’s friend Cristina. She was a tall, lithe, androgynous woman with short, curly dark hair and full lips. “This is a lot of fun,” she said, sticking her hand out. “You must be Monica. Gabi’s told me a lot about you. Are you still interested in tutoring? I just wanted to let you know that most of us weren’t intense enough to take it on in our first semester but we’re always looking for people ahead of time.” She was one of the few attendees who had broken into a bit of the alcohol Austin had dropped off.

As the night went on, Monica couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed this much or had felt this relaxed. She even seemed to forget about the burning in her side at times.

***

It was the Friday the week after game night and Monica was waiting at the Mean Bean to meet up with Austin before Physics. It had been a busy week class-wise, but a slower week on the crimefighting front, though the media frenzy surrounding Allie McKenney and the masked vigilante’s exploits had hardly died down a fraction.

Checking her email, Monica found she’d received one from a Cameron Seabright. The subject line read: “Work-study stagehand job.” The body of the email read:

“Hey there,

This is Cameron the guy from the audition here. Talked to someone about the work-study job and it is still available. Previous guy had a mental breakdown so….hurray? Not due to work, it seems. Your sanity should remain intact, though no guarantees. If interested, you should email Dr. Marianne Hoshi about setting up an interview on Monday.”

He provided an email address for Dr. Hoshi. Hadley had recently secured a pretty meaty role in the play, though Porter hadn’t (and had seemed a little relieved according to Hadley).

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nodded to the girl "yeah. Yeah I can do it. For now. Like... 3 hours a week. I'm trying to get a job too." She badly needed the money, since she ate like a football player and assumed she'd have to bribe people and buy drugs and all kinds of things if she was going to keep up the hero game. "SO yeah. Yeah I can help out. Anything for Gabi and her causes."

With the week with no armor she'd been glad for no crimefighting. She was waiting on the sliver to return with her suit tonight. She actually felt well rested for the first time since she got to Prospect City. She sipped her coffee and waited for Austin to arrive. She fired off a quick email, saying that she heard they were looking for a work-study person to build sets, that she was handy with a hammer and all that.

Tucking her phone away she leaned back in her seat, scratching lightly at her side which had fortunately not even scarred. Yay for those superior genes. She looked outside, ready for it to be a little cooler out. Late September but still warm. She had on a pair of shorts and white top and some sandals. When she saw Austin come in she waved and checked her phone while he ordered, then made room for him to sit.

"Hey hot stuff. What's up? What's going on this weekend?"

 

[Halcyon638]

Cristina smiled. “Awesome! Let me get your email and I can send you the link to the form you’d have to fill out. Gabi says you’re super good at math and science which is great. I’m terrible at both,” she admitted before getting Monica’s email.

***

Austin slid into the booth next to her. “Hey, gorgeous. So I know your opinions on basketball, but how do you feel about football? One of my friends hooked me up with three tickets to Sunday’s Whirlwinds game,” he noted, referring to Prospect City’s NFL team. “Seriously awesome seats. So close you can feel the traumatic brain injuries. You can bring whoever you’d like.”

“There’s also a 90’s party at one of the sororities tomorrow night if you wanted to hit that,” the athlete said. “I know sororities aren’t exactly your thing but some of my friends are headed there and it’s not like the movies. They aren’t going to be telling you have last year’s shoes on or something,” he said. “But I'm up for whatever. Tonight I’ve got a thing and some shit I need to get done. My tutor’s been on my ass all week.” He slipped a muscular arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze. “I’d definitely rather have you tutor me again.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Monica saw Dr. Howe passing with a cup of coffee. For a moment, a vague expression appeared on the woman’s face—confusion? Disappointment? It then shifted into a smile. She gave an understated wave in Monica’s direction and continued toward the exit.

 

[siobhancan99]

"Uh babe, I'm from a rural town. Friday nights are for High School Football, Saturdays are for College Football and Sundays are hotly contested as to whether they are for the NFL or Nascar, depending. We are an NFL house in the Bergenson residence. Though my father does that douchebag European thing where he says real football is soccer and they should call American Football... handball. cause you use your hands." She grinned and then felt a little pang when she saw Melanie. She definitely needed to catch up with her, so it was office hours for sure on Tuesday. She could feel the woman's disappointment and she could guess, maybe what it was about. But she was her student so its not like anything could happen... right? At the same time she was immensely flattered. Melanie was attractive, older, established in her field. It made her feel good to be looked at that way. It also marked the actual one and only woman who seemed to be interested so, there was also that.

SHe made herself return her attention to Austin "um, for sure. Shorts, tights beneath, concert t-shirt, flannel. what's not to love about the 90s? throw on some Doc Martens, the whole 9 yards."

 

[Halcyon638]

Austin grinned. “Awesome. I knew I picked the wrong sport. Damn these pituitary glands!” He took a sip of coffee. “You can bring whoever you’d like. I didn’t really have anyone else in mind to go.” As Monica glanced over at Melanie, Austin slapped the hand of a friend walking by.

When she responded to his suggestion about the party, he said, “Cool. Is that what you’re going to wear? What about me? Can I pull off those MC Hammer pants?”

The rest of the day went surprisingly quickly for a Friday. After her first two classes, Monica ate lunch with Hadley, Nick, and Gabi, and the topic of weekend plans came up. “I have to go help my mom pick out a wedding dress,” Hadley said.

“Nice! When’s your mom getting married?” Gabi asked.

“Next August. She does this thing where she tells me she wants my opinions but what she really wants is to hear me tell her why the opinion she had all along was right. I literally want to set myself on fire.”

“Just so you all can set aside some time, I’m going to be streaming tonight while I finish assembling my newest gunpla,” Nick chimed in.

“Your what?” Gabi interjected.

“What do you got going on, Mon?” Nick asked. "You know, a guest appearance on my stream would probably boost my followers. Maybe even those elusive double digits. I can pay you in store-brand Doritos..."

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica laughed ". Tomorrow I'm going to a 90s party with Austin. Everyone can come if they want. I understand some of you have things going on, but if you wanna come along its at a sorority house and everyone is supposed to be pretty cool. If it sucks we can always bail. I'm just trying to spend some time with Austin since... you know it will pretty much go to mid afternoon booty calls to never seeing him again in a few weeks and well. I like him, and I wanna squeeze out what time I can. Also, Gabi its a gundam model." Monica grinned as if she would have known that without listening to Nick the week before "everyone knows that."

She smiled over at Gabi "wanna go to the Whirlwind's game Sunday? Austin has 2 tickets." She thought for a minute "and yeah, Nick I'd love to do your podcast. Even if I don't really know much about Gundams. You can save the doritos just get me a Dr. Pepper."

 

[Halcyon638]

“I would totally go even with the sorority factor but my mom’s taking me out to dinner,” Hadley said. “We should definitely hit up some thrift stores to get you all ready for the ball, Cinderella,” she added with more enthusiasm to her tone than usual, giving Monica’s back a playful pat.

“You’re not going to Ian’s show tomorrow night?” Gabi asked. Monica hadn’t heard anything from Ian since the day she’d seen him in Founder’s Square picking up food for delivery. There was an odd expression on Gabi’s face that Monica wasn’t quite sure how to read.

When Monica mentioned the Whirlwinds game, Gabi perked up again. “Wow, that’d be great! Unless…you want to make it just you and him.”

Nick seemed more than a little surprised at Monica’s response. “Oh…it’s actually a Twitch stream. Is that cool? Also, the most popular streams tend to be hot girls showing cleavage, so if you wouldn’t mind—” Hadley glared. “Kidding! Kidding! And you don’t have to talk about Gundam the whole time. When Hadley was on, she complained about her last Uber ride. Compelling stuff.”

After Nick and Hadley had left, Gabi took Monica aside for a moment. “Hey. I’m not supposed to say anything but…did you and Ian have a fight or something? I mean, since that night? I just totally blew it, but he invited me to some gig with a band he’s sitting in for and he…asked me not to tell you. Which seemed weird to me.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nodded "so not a podcast. Yeah I can be on it. I'll need top billing of course, and a cool graphic to announce me. and bowl with only blue m & m's in it." She winked to show she was kidding then nodded to Hadley "yeah, hopefully I can find some really obscure 90s band T-shirt. Might have to call my dad while we're there to ask which one is the least well known."

In response to Gabi she shook her head "no, he offered the extra ticket and if you don't use it it will be one of his boys, so it might as well be you. Besides I mean... we're not really that... I dunno. What we are is weird. Killing time till he disappears. I like him but... he made it clear he's not looking for a wife and pretty soon I'll see him at class and maybe the occasional noontime interlude. It's basketball season and if he's got any shot at the NBA he's got to be focused you know? I don't think he's going to trade even a slim chance at that future for one of many pretty girls he's spent time with. I've seen some of the others. He does alright for himself."

After Gabi pulled her aside and let her know about Ian's show she shrugged. Part of her felt like she should go and part of her felt like excluding her was the classiest thing Ian ever did in his life. "I thought I told you, Tom's dead because Ian is a fuck up who got too fucking wasted to find his friends and needed rescuing. Again. for the thousandth fucking time. So Tom went to go get him in the middle of the god damn night and got shot for it. Rather than cuss Ian out I mostly forgave him and he's so burdened with the weight of his entirely well earned shame that on the few occasions he has seen me since he told me he's been unable to look at me."

 

[Halcyon638]

Nick grinned. “Sounds fair. Come by around 8:00 tonight?”

Gabi nodded as Monica explained the situation with Ian. “No, I knew about what happened the last time he visited us. I guess I was hoping we were all back to being friends again and then…” She frowned. “I just felt weird because I texted him back that I was happy to go, and then he texted the thing about not telling you. I was just trying to keep it a secret but…I can’t lie to you. Just say the word and I can come up with an excuse to not go.” A wry smile crossed her lips. “Aside from the actual music.”

That night, after receiving a text from her father notifiying her that the Sliver was back with her repaired armor, Monica went to Nick’s apartment. When she entered, he offered her some of the aforementioned store-brand junk food and Dr. Pepper. His desktop computer was engaged in some kind complicated, automated process that he told her was a project for one of his cybersecurity courses. He prepared his laptop and streaming setup as a grey cat slunk around Monica’s calves before rolling onto its back with its belly in the air. “That’s Muffins. He’s going to try to steal the show tonight. Cat or dog person?”

The actual streaming session was ramshackle and chill. Nick walked her through his collection on camera while Monica weighed in with her Gundam knowledge and affectionately poked fun at the show and Nick, who took it all in stride and joined in whenever he could with self-deprecation. At one point, he opened up the floor for her to weigh in on her favorite mechs or robots from pop culture.

It was roughly 10:00 when Monica made it back to her own apartment. Nick had walked with her at Gabi’s very strong insistence, though it was anyone’s guess as to what deterrence the skinny, pimpled sophomore would offer. Gabi seemed to be in her room, as the light was still on.

 

[siobhancan99]

Rubbing the cat's tummy "I dunno, lately I've been thinking I might be a pussy person." She wondered if Nick would catch the double entendre or not, and swiftly moved on to make it not a big deal. She examined all his figurines "so you build all these yourself? Like, the way they come are they stuck in a pose or are they fully articulable?" She didn't want to touch them without permission. "So how many episodes does this one NOT fight in while someone says they will give everything... FOR PEACE?"

She stuck out her tongue playfully and after the podcast sipped her Dr. Pepper and tried to feel Nick out about whether or not Hadley had been on the show and tried to weasel out of him whether he was into Hadley or not.

Monica rolled her eyes when Nick insisted on walking her home "you know I go running at like 1 am right? Anyway my boyfriend was shot on this street so... you can stay the night or Uber home."

When they got to the apartment she saw Gabi was up and invited Nick in for a minute so he could make up his mind and Gabi could give him money to compensate him for the Uber, since he was there due to her insistence. "Shaun might be here... No making sex noises no matter how hilarious it would be." She fake glared at Nick, then loudly announced her presence. "Hey chica hermosa. I'm home and Nick is with me so put pants on."

 

[Halcyon638]

Nick arched an eyebrow at Monica’s response to his cat or dog question, but left it at that. “I do put them all together. Yep, they’re fully articululable…articulatedable…damn, that’s hard to say. Artic-u-lable? This is some good streaming right here.”

After the show, as Monica sipped her Dr. Pepper, Nick took on a more circumspect expression as she asked him about Hadley and tried to feel out any more details. “Hadley’s cool. She was…she’s kinda the only person I’ve opened up to about…Curtis. He was in a couple of my IS courses last year and one this year and…I think I’ve got a crush on him? And that he likes me? But I’ve never…” He let out a deep breath. “He’s out, which makes it a little easier. But…it’s hard still, somehow. I guess I still just have this, like, image of myself that…doesn’t fit. I dunno.”

When Monica made it home, Gabi came out to greet them both. “I had to scare off a few street youths and a science vampire or two, but I brought her home in one piece,” Nick announced. When Monica brought up the topic of the Uber, he shook his head. “I’ll just catch the next campus shuttle back. They run em a lot this late on Fridays and Saturdays since there’s so many drunken students wandering around. I will take a drink for the road if you have anything. Non-alcoholic.”

“We’ve got a couple of cold Vitamin Waters,” she said. “I caught some of you guys’s stream tonight. You now have a loyal follower.”

“Great,” Nick said.

“But only if you bring my girl here back,” she said, smiling. “She is clearly the breakout star.”

“We’re in negotiations,” Nick said. He thanked them for the water and walked just up the street toward the shuttle stop.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nods to Nick when he confesses about the boy. Hadley had implied as much but now it was out there "Well Nick, I'm... you know. not entirely straight I'm thinking so. Good luck with it. I know what you mean about your self image though. Right like, you think you're this person and maybe you're not. Then you have to figure out how much meaning to give it all right? Like how much does it have to affect your life and the rest of you? Does it have to at all? I dunno man. I don't have the answers, and clearly for me its just... part because I clearly also like boys."

She shrugged and let it go, then when she got home and found Gabi waiting she rolled her eyes "I'm gonna do my own podcast called...Best Fields to Get Drunk In: Cottersville Social Scene. I'll rate every field based on how easy it is to pee without boys perving on you, and the best places I held your hair while you threw up. Extra points if the acoustics are good for listening to music from someone's car speakers."

After seeing Nick out she looked outside. She really wanted to get back out there. To fight crime. To test her mettle against the hive of scum and villainy... but Gabi was still up and she had sort of gotten used to having some normal time too. She could always head out in a bit. "so what did you do all night? No Shaun this weekend?'

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi laughed. “I can hear the mattress sellers lining up to advertise on that show,” she said. When Nick had left, Gabi made her way into the kitchen. “Shaun and I grabbed some dinner but he wasn’t feeling that great. He’s going to try to make it to the…show tomorrow night. I was feeling a little tired so I came home to do a little studying and just passed out cold. With the lights on.” Noticing the expression on Monica’s face, Gabi said, “Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on going to sleep that early, and now I’m kinda up.”

“What do you feel like doing? I was kinda thinking about going for a walk together, if you think it’s safe. Or we could watch something. You’re up next for movie pick.” She reached down to open one of the cabinets. “I’ll tell you what’ll definitely have to happen: rum and Cokes!” Gabi said, pulling out the still nearly full bottle of alcohol from last weekend’s party.

 

[siobhancan99]

Struggling internally, wanting to be out on the street... she smiled and got out the glasses "rum and cokes it is. Why don't we watch something and if you're still awake at the end, we can go for a walk. With two of us nobody will probably bother us. if we see any big groups around we can avoid them or come back." She got ice and plunked it into the glasses, then got a bag of popcorn and tossed it in the microwave to pop. "Hmmmm. Lets watch 'Booksmart'" she sat in the apartment kitchen, listening for the telltale sound of when the popcorn had popped too much. She pulled the bag out and opened it into a big bowl while Gabi made the rum and cokes "you know what we need to do is get your mom's carnitas recipe and do like, a big thing of it and freeze it, then we can bust it out in little portions and throw it in a pan and add it to chips and stuff for movie night."

Many people thought about sex a lot, but with having to eat over 3000 calories a day, Monica was largely preoccupied with food. "Man that would be so good."

 

[Halcyon638]

“Sounds good,” Gabi said, pouring the soda for their drinks. “I figure with the caffeine in the Coke I’ll be up for a while. Or maybe the rum will cancel it out?”

“Yesss, we haven’t watched that movie together in so long.” She made her way into the living area carrying their drinks. “I can totally make those! Only they came out a little bland the last time I tried. I’ll have to check with her to make sure I’m not messing anything up.” When Monica sat down with the popcorn, Gabi grabbed a handful.

“Uggh, I’ve got so much homework to get through tomorrow and Sunday before the game,” Gabi said at one point during the movie. “I really should have gotten a start on my history paper tonight but now…” She raised the glass. “To procrastination. And BFFs.”

Around a quarter to midnight as the movie was finishing up, Monica received two texts in quick succession. They were from Austin.

“Hey there. Thinking about how much I want to see you tomorrow.”

“You in bed?”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica smiled and curled up "here's to us. To living the dream in Prospect City like we always said we would." She sighed and let the drink relax her, just having the one in case she went out, and she really really did need to get out. Evil was out there and it was sure she was gone. At least in her head. 8 days was a long time to be absent. the 24 hour news cycle needed continual reminders of her existence. Still, just chilling with Gabi was great.

Picking up her phone she sent a text "looking forward! and no. I'm not in bed. you?"

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi was mixing up her second rum and coke as Monica texted with Austin. She could hear her friend cheerily singing a bit off key, then the clink of the glass bottle against the counter.

Austin texted back. “I’m in bed. Thinking about you. Maybe you could send me a pic or two to tide me over til tomorrow. "

 

[siobhancan99]

Grinning, Monica texted back "I'm hanging out with Gabi so it would have to be PG. or G really" She got up and went into the kitchen, holding up her phone and snapping a pick of her next to Gabi in her pjs "Wholesome family entertainment only"

As it seemed Gabi was going to be up for a bit, she made herself another drink. It seemed like this weekend would be a waste for getting anything productive done, and after a week of not being out she wasn't super happy about it. Still Gabi was probably the most important relationship in her life besides her dad, and if she had to put a pin in vigilante shit for a night she could. it just sucked that tomorrow would be similarly wasted.

 

[Halcyon638]

Austin texted a reply. “Awww. You look great. Sleepy time for this guy.”

Gabi took another swig. “We should still go for a walk. It’s sooo nice out there.” Because she tended to make the rums and cokes a little lighter on the rum, Gabi seemed more buzzed than drunk, and likely a little pepped up by the caffeine. “I just gotta grab a sweatshirt.”

A minute later, they were heading out into the crisp night air. It was in the low sixties, but the occasional breeze made it feel a bit colder. The sky was dark, with barely any starts breaking through the murky cloud masses. “I can’t wait for fall to get here,” the dark-haired girl said. “I love the summer but I’m definitely waiting for that kind of weather where you can just curl up under a blanket and drink some tea. Plus, I want to do some baking! It’s been too long. Any requests?”

Being a Friday night, the campus was teeming with students, from solitary individuals to packs of young men and women. As they walked, Gabi discussed what she was learning from her evolutionary biology class. “So for years, there had just been this assumption that when you have these like, rapid periods of climate change, this will be a huge factor in driving mammals to evolve,” she noted, “but apparently they’re finding that this isn’t really the case. I mean, there’s some impact but it’s not this huge event that causes everything to just start evolving. It’s a really cool class. I wish we could have taken it together!”

Soon, they were walking along one of the paths near the science building where Monica had fought the electricity guy. It seemed a little quieter in this direction, though they could still see people coming and going on a path not more than 100 feet away. “Next semester, we’re taking at least one class together. I don’t care if it’s a 8:00 A.M. class on a Monday or if it’s Advanced Icelandic Folk Dancing. It’s happening.”

They were walking by a stand of well-maintained bushes when suddenly a large, dark shape rushed out onto the path in front of them. Monica felt Gabi grip her hand tightly. It was a brown chocolate lab that let loose a trio of loud barks. After a few moments, seemingly responded to a guy calling out, “Jo Jo!”, it sprinted off. Gabi let out a nervous chuckle.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nods "so we're not all going to spontaneously become sexy mer-people? I think there's a lot of people that will be immensely saddened by that knowledge."

When the shape burst from the bushes, Monica instinctively dropped a shoulder and stepped forward, just ahead of Gabi. She was both terrified that something would happen to Gabi but also sort of itching for something to happen generally. To feel useful. She put a pin in that. She felt useful in a way she never had before. It wasn't even the fighting, though... blood will tell and she was a daughter of someone who lived for it... it was the purpose. She was itching to get back out there and fight because fighting was currently her purpose. School Monica felt like fake Monica. School Monica was the mask. When she was fighting crime she was saving people. That shit was real.

After the dog ran off she kept her hand in Gabi's a moment "Why don't we take calc 2 next semester? We both need it for our majors, since we have to suffer through it we might as well suffer together right?" She looked over at her tipsy roommate and smiled "Hey we can walk back if you want. I'm good though. you know me. I basically like... live out here at this hour."

 

[Halcyon638]

“Well, I guess we know which of us going to totally freeze up in an emergency,” Gabi said with a sheepish smile. “Especially if that emergency involves a dog named Jo Jo.” She stepped forward, still keeping her hand intertwined with Monica’s as she raised the possibility of taking calculus 2. “Yeah…that sounds—”

A pair of shirtless dude-bros sprinted across the green about fifty feet away. Gabi released Monica’s hand. “Yeah, that’d be…um…good. Calc. Definitely. I can, um…I can make it back to the apartment by myself. I mean, it’s literally—it’s not that far. You’re going to go the gym, right? I’ll catch you in the morning, okay?” she said. Gabi gave a little wave and then headed back at a quicker pace.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica wasn't about to let her walk back by herself, though she respected the fact that Gabi felt awkward about the moment and she stayed a few steps back "I need my stuff." she offered lamely, but really she'd be devastated if something happened to Gabi on the way back. Gabi was basically one of 2 people... once three people... that she really loved. Tom was gone though, so that left Gabi and Dad. Mom too she supposed, if she was alive. After seven years she'd sort of assumed she died on some distant planet but who fucking knew. She had to act as if she wasn't ever coming back. So that left Gabi and Dad and she didn't want to drive her away. They'd been the two "immigrant kids" even though both of them were born in America and everyone thought her parents were Swedish. They'd been stuck together since they were in first grade, and that friendship never waivered.

She sighed and wondered if she shouldn't have offered to walk back. Or if it had been those guys seeing them holding hands. Or the fact she hadn't let go right away. Or if she wasn't just reading too much into Gabi's hurried walk home. Fuck. Why did this all have to be so fucking complicated?

When she got home she grabbed her back and summoned the sliver. She could run through the park and try to attract the wrong kind of attention, or maybe... fuck she still had that gun. for weeks. She headed over to the club. If nothing happened over that way she could at least return the gun. She was hoping though to get into it with someone and forget about her emotional turmoil.

 

[Halcyon638]

When Monica walked to catch up with her friend, Gabi slowed down. “Sorry—I thought you wanted to just head out without going back first,” she said. She was still a bit on the quiet side as they made their way back to their apartment. “Be safe, okay?”

It was nearly a quarter to one a.m. when Monica soared through the city sky in the Sliver. She wasn’t out long when something that screamed trouble caught her attention. A loud boom sounded not far from her current location. It wasn’t in Gilliam Heights, one of the rougher regions of town she typically patrolled, but instead across the bridge in Preston Center, the tech district home to industry giants like InnoVenture and HelixCorp.

As Monica zoomed closer, she saw a small fire at the campus of First Line, a company known for its ties to the defense industry. Speeding through a gate around the perimeter and into the street was an armored truck similar to the type that usually transported money to financial institutions. Someone in the back of the vehicle let out a burst of automatic fire toward guards near the gates, sending them diving behind cover. The truck hit one of the city’s mostly (but not completely) deserted main streets heading approximately 50 MPH.

The Sliver could go as fast as a sleek motorcycle moving at max speed, so Monica knew she had the capacity to close the gap easily enough.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica sighed as Gabi read her wrong. Fuck. She'd ruined a nice moment "No Gabi. You seemed like you were nervous about being out and i was saying we could go back or I was comfortable staying out. With you." She shook her head then headed out, feeling guilty and sad like she'd blown something.

The armored car was just the distraction she needed. She threw the sliver towards the craft, careening through the air, using the lack of obstacles above street level to get an advantageous position. She flipped the phone on with one hand just in case she needed the cops, but kept herself focused on the armored car. They'd clearly stolen something big and important... the thing was to catch them without getting shot. and without getting the sliver all shot up. She was reasonably sure her father wasn't keen on playing mechanic every weekend, or knowing she was getting shot at to be honest. So she hauled after the truck, slowly advancing, thinking they probably wouldn't even notice her in the air.

 

[Halcyon638]

As Monica closed the gap in the Sliver while being careful to remain above the sight lines of anyone in the truck, police sirens sounded, and a nearby squad car lit up, then gave chase. The armored vehicle picked up speed as their pursuers began to accelerate. It took a corner sharply, nearly colliding with an SUV going about 40 MPH.

Monica could see the rear doors of the armored vehicle open again and a moment later, heard another crackling burst of auto-fire. Glass in nearby parked vehicles exploded as did one of the cop car’s headlights.