Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[siobhancan99]

Monica rocked her head back in surprise at the blow. It hurt, though not badly. She grimaced, ignoring his question and waited for him to come at her. She moved to step inside his reach, trusting that her actually superior strength would carry the day. She launched a series of punches for his gut, trying to take the wind out of him and maybe put him down.

'this is harder than it looks in movies' she thought to herself, still in a bit of a panic as there were two guns in play, but feeling a lot more confident about the fact she only has the one to handle. 'maybe next time some sort of weapon' she thought, but at the same time she didn't necessarily want to kill anyone. Just leave them tied up for the cops.

 

[Halcyon638]

One of Monica's punches connected, and the gunman crumpled to the ground. Suddenly, she saw a blue and red flash nearby--the police were apparently headed in the right direction this time. Making sure the guns were far away from their grasp but not far enough for any investigators to find, she prepared to leave the scene, heart pounding hard in her chest.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica dug into her purse for a few zip ties, tying them off around the men's wrists. she got some gloves and put them on, then pulled one of their phones out and dialed 911. she left the phone in the ground, then ran between the townhouses back towards the party. She rounded the corner, then remembered to take Nolan's phone out of her purse. She turned it back on, glad he didn't have any security on it, and added her number to the contacts. she remembered at the last minute to take off the balaclava, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail to disguise the fact she'd had it on.

She slipped back into the party, not having been gone but a short time. She looked embarrased as she handed Nolan back his phone "sorry! I called 911 from it. Then I went to make sure nobody was lying in the street." She bit her lip, looking the boy over "I uh... put my number in it. I hope that makes up for stealing it for a few minutes."

She looked around, finding Gabi dancing with Shaun, and looked for their other friends as well, intent on spending some time with them before they all had to head out. She found Hayley mooning over Tomas, and Nick and Porter arguing in the corner about some TV show. She'd hoped maybe they'd mingle a little more, but they seemed ok for now at least, so she turned her attention back to Nolan who did deserve a little time given she'd stolen his phone so she could call 911 from it without using her own. A burner phone was definitely in order.

 

[Halcyon638]

When Monica handed back Nolan his phone, he still had a slightly baffled look on his face. "Oh...yeah, that's cool," he said, putting on a smile again when she mentioned her phone number. "Didn't know you were, like, such a good Samaritan and everything. Must be a small town thing."

Another song started up, and Nolan finished off what appeared to be another beer. "What do you say we make up for some last time?" Monica and Nolan began to dance again as the atmosphere around them only seemed to get more raucous. As the night went on, Tomas and Porter left, waving quick goodbyes and leaving Nick and Hadley the only remaining members of the group Gabi had introduced Monica to. The girl in dark-framed glasses was gesticulating animatedly as she talked to the acne-riddled sophomore, making him burst out in laughter.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gabi and Shaun sequestered in a corner, no longer dancing but instead kissing one another deeply as Gabi leaned back against a wall, one of his arms wrapped around her lower back.

"Wow, looks like they're getting along okay," Nolan said, grinning. "Giving you any ideas?" He kept the tone light enough that it could be read as either a joke or a suggestion.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica looked over at Gabi, really just going at it with Shaun in the corner. She looked back to Nolan and was for the first time a little turned on. Apparently, kicking some guy's ass was a bit of an aphrodisiac. Still, she wasn't ready to. Not with Tom and everything. It felt like a betrayal, and yet.... He was really hot. Would it be so wrong to just... be 19 and drink and dance and screw around? Still... She'd dragged Hailey and Nick to the party and she wanted to make sure they were doing ok. She put a hand on Nolan's back and sort of steered him over to the heated discussion.

"Surprised you're still here after Tomas left" she nudges Hailey playfully, then looks over at Nick "so what are you two so animated about?"

She spared a look over at Gabi, but for now, was content to let her have her fun. She'd check on how drunk she was though if she saw her getting any more involved.

 

[Halcyon638]

"Get you guys anything?" Nolan asked Nick and Hadley as he ventured over with Monica, lightly touching her mid-back as he did.

"No, we're good," Hadley replied. When Monica teased her slightly about Tomas leaving, her face grew a pinkish hue. "What? I didn't even notice."

"She definitely hasn't spent the last 15 minutes creeping on his Insta feed," Nick said. "We were just discussing which Zelda games are the best and she got a little too into it."

"Sorry if I have strong, correct opinions," Hadley said. Nolan had drifted off to check in with a few of his friends. "We're going to head out," she said. "Thank Mr. Abs over there for us." She patted Monica on the shoulder, then she and started to head to the door. To Monica's surprise, Gabi was now moving their way as well.

"Hey," she said, still grinning from ear to ear and making eyes at a contented looking Shaun from across the room. "You guys leaving? I'm going to head back with you." Gabi looked at Monica, who saw Nolan glancing over at her even as he talked and laughed with his friends. "You want to come with us or...?"

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica looked back at Nolan and decided to make what was known as an "irish exit." Largely because she didn't want to go. Since fighting those men what she wanted was to tear that shirt off him, and have him pin her against the wall. She wanted him to not just fuck her, but take her and pound her. To engage in a frenzied copulation that was as much about the joy of conquest as it was the act of physical release. She'd wanted it so badly she could taste it. Could imagine the press of his chiseled body holding her against the cheap wallpaper in the affordable student apartment house.

But part of her wanted it to be Tom. Part of her still didn't want cheap sex or one night thrills. Part of her was ashamed for even thinking about someone else so soon after Tom died. She wallowed a moment, having a dissociative experience where she wasn't sure who was real. The girl who grew up in a small town and wanted to be an engineer like her daddy and marry Tom, or the warrior hellcat who wanted to fight armed men in the night, to feel the breaking of their bones and hear the anguish of their cries as she exacted justice.

It didn't help that her father had warned her that their people very closely associated sex and violence, particular in the warrior caste her mother's people came from. She was hard-wired to want to couple, to want to ride Nolan till the sun came up and collapse spent next to him. That was also part of the problem. She felt, like Tom, that he'd never be rough enough. he'd never be strong enough for her to view him as her equal. To feel taken, to feel anything other than in control. Being in control might not be so bad... but right now the part of her that felt that way was the part of her that wasn't ready to move on from Tom.

"I'm not ready for a Mr. Abs just yet, Chica Hermosa" she nudged Gabi playfully "lets go home and order a pizza. i'm starving"

"you're always starving. I don't know how you manage to look like you came out of a comic book when you eat like a fucking linebacker" her friend teased "some day you're gonna lose that ability and boom"

"Nah. remember my mom? She ate like that'

Gabi nodded. "Unfair. you two. Unfair"

Monica slipped out the front door without a further word, her friends in tow. She was quiet a bit on the walk, trying to resolve the tension in her.To get some idea of who she was. The joking of her friends and the normality of the walk home though brought her back to earth. She was just a girl from the countryside who could do a few things nobody else could. That was it.

 

[Halcyon638]

Monica walked home with Gabi, Nick and Hadley, wrestling with her thoughts and desires. "So, I didn't want to be that girl that just hooks up at the first college party she goes to," Gabi said to her at one point. She realized her friend had been talking about Shaun but she had been lost in thought. "Not that it should matter. Or that I would judge any girl that did." She tapped her forehead. "Too many years of Catholic programming."

After saying goodnight to Nick and Hadley, Monica and Gabi walked back toward their apartment, passing by some extremely drunk students along the way. Finally, they were home. "Awesome first night, roomie!" Gabi said. "This is going to be so fun. Night!"

Monica didn't expect to sleep right away despite it being past 2, as she still felt worked up from the fight. She checked her phone and aside from a text from her dad letting her know he'd made it okay, there were no messages. Eventually, she began to drift off to sleep.

At one point, she began to dream. In her dream, a figure in shadows sat in a chair of some sort, and behind them seemed to be the vastness of outer space; it was only when she noticed the metallic grilles that she realized it was a window of some sort. She could feel herself moving closer to the figure, against her wishes and instincts. The figure spoke, but Monica couldn't hear.

Moving closer, she saw the figure's face. It was a man, though she had the feeling he wasn't human, with piercing brown eyes, sculpted jaw, and slightly wavy, mid-length dark hair. He rested his chin on his hand thoughtfully, and gazed at her with an unsettling intensity.

When Monica awoke, she felt a sheen of sweat on her forehead. It was a little past 10:30, and she could hear Gabi stirring in their living area. After throwing on some clothing, Monica wandered out. "Uggh--I was supposed to go the gym around 9 today," Gabi said. "Guess that didn't happen. I think I'll head over around noon if you want to go."

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica reflects on the dream, and decides it must have been a reaction to dancing and fighting, because the guy was hot. "Man. would have stayed to let that guy fuck me" she muttered.

She moved into the living room, talking briefly with Gabi about the gym. going was pointless in a fashion for her, as she couldn't lift enough where people could see her to do real good. She had to figure out a way to exercise to her full potential. Maybe some real heavy rocks in the park or something. Still, going to the gym and being seen did help explain her attractive physique, and there were usually hot people to look at.

"yeah, Gym sounds great... is uh... tall dark and handsome going?" she grins and ribs Gabi playfully. "I mean if he is, I can step off so you can pretend not to know what you're doing and get some help" she stuck her tongue out at Gabi, honestly a little jealous her shy friend had had the courage to hook up where she'd been reserved. She wanted to give Nolan a chance but... also it was the first day of college. she hadn't even been to class yet. There were a lot of boys here. A lot of men really.

She called her dad before they headed out, letting him know about the events of the night before. She'd shared her plan before leaving for school and he'd been uncharacteristically relaxed about it. "Being A Centauri is about struggle. It's in your blood. you have enough of your mother in you." He had shrugged and not given his blessing, but not forbid it either. He was a soldier himself, after all. More importantly, he'd confessed, he saw her mother in everything she did. "She would have done the same'

Monica wasn't so sure. Her mother probably would have killed those guys. She had more of her father in her than he let on. Still... she was glad he didn't crawl up her ass about it. "You're a Centauri and an adult. you make your own way."

A few hours later, she was in tight lycra shorts and a sports bra, spotting Gabi and keeping an eye on her to make sure she wasn't in any distress, the gym somewhat crowded.

 

[Halcyon638]

It was a sweltering day on the Prospect University campus as Monica and Gabi made their way to the gym. The building was packed with attractive guys and girls. At any given moment, there were a dozen people of all descriptions that Monica could picture even more scantily clad than they were at present. "We might hang out tonight," Gabi dished, referring to her and Shaun. "Just, like, watch a movie or something."

As Monica waited for a particular machine to open up, she checked her phone. There was a brief story about the shooting last night, though it was described as being the result of a "dispute" between the restaurant owner and the two gunmen, with nothing regarding the owner's accusations that they were demanding protection money. There were two brief references to her as "an unidentified party" who "intervened to prevent their escape."

Another headline caught her eye: INNOVENTURE EXEC FOUND ELECTROCUTED

"Prospect City police are investigating a death at InnoVenture corporate headquarters that occurred between the hours of 10:00 and 11 PM last night. Grant Bowers, a 32-year-old Associate Research and Development Executive was found dead in an elevator early this morning. A coroner’s report has determined the cause of death to be electrocution. Investigators believe his death may be linked to a power outage that occurred in the building during the same time frame, but have not ruled out foul play. Bowers, who joined InnoVenture three years ago, leaves behind a wife and two children.”

"Holy crap--do you know who that is?" Gabi said, referring to someone in the room. Monica tried to follow her gaze. "No, don't look. Not now. Now look!" She glanced over now and saw who she presumed Gabi was talking about. He was tall, maybe 6'3" or 6'4", with closely cropped sandy-blond hair and stubble, bluish-green eyes, heavily inked arms, and broad shoulders. He looked vaguely familiar to Monica. "That's Austin Whittier." Monica looked at Gabi blankly. "He's, like, the best player on the team." Seeing Monica still lacking recognition, she said, "The basketball team! They made it to the Sweet Sixteen last year. I think." Earbuds in, the athlete attacked a weight bench with a stoic look on his face.

"Any word from the hottie from last night?" Gabi asked, leaning forward to stretch.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nods as Gabi talks about hooking up with Shaun "well I might actually head out and see a movie or something. So why don't you have him over to our place since you'll have the place to yourself?" Her notion was to head down to the park everyone said was dangerous. She'd been tempted to do the subway but she needed to know more about the security feeds there so she didn't get caught. A run through the park, a "defenseless" woman might draw the wrong kind of attention.

She was at once relieved and peeved that there was not that much mention of her. Part of her knew that a lack of recognition was almost essential to not getting caught, part of her also knew that without some fame or notoriety, she would not have as much of an impact. It was a sort of catch-22.

The news about Innoventure was interesting. She'd have to poke Nick about it, if they hung out again. It didn't seem like foul play, but then... who gets electrocuted in an elevator? It wasn't the sort of crime she considered part of her mission, but... it was interesting. She could keep tabs on it at the very least. See if she could get in and have a look around... but then again she was no detective. God knows what she'd even be looking for.

Her eyes slid over when Gabi called her attention to the man working out. He was fucking gorgeous. That was true. Tall, blonde, tatted up. He was also clearly there to be seen. She knew enough, having been a swimmer, to know that his workouts would be team supervised with a ton of trainers around. She assumed he was there to be ogled and to ogle. Ogle she did. Her green eyes slid over his chiseled body and she bit her lip. He wasn't dream guy, but dream guy was just a dream. He was very real. Her reverie was momentarily interrupted by Gabi's question.

"oh... oh no. No." she shrugs "Honestly I didn't give him strong positive signals. Part of that is Tom. I mean... its been ... 5 months? Part of it is he failed chemistry." She shrugs and looks down at Gabi "I mean... can you imagine having dumb children? Like... living a lifetime of frustration looking at your idiot lump of a kid and being like... WHY DON'T YOU GET IT???" like... all the time?" She shrugged "I mean he might have just partied too hard but. I dunno. there's a lot of boys here at school." She looked around "boys and girls of all descriptions."

Towards that end she loaded up a bar with more weight than a girl of her size should be able to lift. Not an astounding amount more, enough that it might draw comment or attention without being enough that it would require comment or attention. "Spot me?" She lifted the bar, making a face like it was a lot of weight, then began a set of slow reps. "So you think Shaun's gonna be a serious thing?"

 

[Halcyon638]

When Monica asked about whether Gabi's thing with Shaun could turn serious, Gabi shrugged. "Well, I don't really know much about him other than he's working on an app and knows how to kiss. Oh, and he might have also dropped a hint that he's really good at going down on a girl, so there's that." Monica knew that Gabi had only been with two guys before, both semi-serious relationships and neither of whom really knew what they were doing according to her accounts.

The basketball player seemed to catch Monica looking in his direction. He shot her a quick, unreadable glance, then went back to lifting weights with his long, well-muscled legs. "Just got a text from Nick. He and Layla and Porter are going around to check out the buildings their classes are in. I think I'm going to head back to the apartment to just sort of chill but just a heads up in case you want to join them."

Monica was finally starting to put names to faces (Layla was the short, quiet girl with an afro who mostly seemed to doodle in her sketchpad and Porter was the chubby guy with the UFO shirt) after what seemed like an avalanche of names and faces in just her first two days. As she and Gabi hit the showers, Monica considered how she'd spend her afternoon. It was probably going to be her last day of relative freedom in a while between classes starting and her nocturnal adventures. She considered her response to the text thread, occasionally having her eyes drawn away by hot girls in various stages of undress.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica looked around a little, subtly. She told herself in these moments she was just comparing but... she'd been comparing herself to girls for a while now and there was a sort of nagging thought that she was maybe ogling more than comparing. She cleared her throat and made herself focus "yeah you know, I might go wander around with them. Nick's a nice kid." She got herself dressed, texting to the others "where should I meet you?" also resolving to go to the diner where the guy was shot. She could have dinner, check to see how he was. On her way out, she looked around for the basketball player but didn't find him.

"So I'll leave you be. I know you haven't had a minute to yourself since you were like... born" Gabi's family was big, and being away at school seemed good for her. She seemed less harried and more confident already. Monica wrapped an arm around her "and you can you know. get your uh... fuck on or whatever" she teased. She herself had only been with Tom. Love of a lifetime. His lifetime not hers. She was going to have to move on. Maybe with a girl? that seemed less of a betrayal of Tom but also maybe like a dodge. At the same time she didn't know if she was compatible with any human, so what did the packaging matter?

As the pair walked home, she saw the texts from the others and arranged to meet them. She popped into the apartment and did her hair "I'm gonna stop in later and change to go running. I'll probably hit the indoor track" she lied to her roommate, intending to go running through the dangerous park "So don't be all you know. on the couch. be decent and use your room."

 

[Halcyon638]

"I give you a sex-free couch guarantee," Gabi said, extending her hand for a handshake. "Same goes for you, you know."

Monica met Nick, Layla, and Porter in the middle of the quad. They caught up as they started walking the campus together. She learned a little more about each; Nick was an Information Systems major from Buffalo, New York; Layla was a first-year Visual Arts major from Tallahassee, and Porter was an undeclared from Prospect City. As a sophomore, Nick led the way as they explored the different buildings on campus, many of which seemed new, shiny, and expensive. It turned out that Porter and Monica were in the same Intro. to Psych course, so once in the hall where the course was held, the two of them split off while Nick and Layla explored another area.

The halls were confusingly numbered, and Porter and Monica found themselves off course. "I have no sense of direction," Porter said. "I get lost in video games all the time. Even with a map." His voice was a little shaky, and Monica could tell that he was feeling nervous alone with her.

"Hey, there's the professor's office," Monica said. The schedule her advisor had set her up with just included the instructor's last name, Howe, but the sign on the door read Dr. Melanie Howe. The outside of the door was decorated with photographs of a white cat and what appeared to sites in Italy and France, along with a quotation from the psychologist Abraham Maslow: “It isn't normal to know what we want. It is a rare and difficult psychological achievement.”

"Cool, a cat lady," Porter said. "She can't be all bad." The door opened abruptly, and Porter stepped back. Standing in the door was a gorgeous woman in her early forties, with long, straight red hair, black glasses, and professional clothes.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Porter clammed up, face almost instantly reddening.

"Umm...we were just looking for Room 313," Monica responded. The woman smiled.

"Ah, yes. That one's a little tricky to find. Follow me," she said, walking gracefully down the hall. "313--you must be in my class this semester. Are you freshmen? Psych majors?"

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica smiled at the pretty professor as she offered to show them around. "yes Freshmen, no to psych majors. I'm an engineering major. I'm afraid I do a lot better with the tangible. I look forward to a B in your class. Maybe a B+ if I really put my all into it." She laughs "In it for the sociology credit, I confess." She gestures "I'm Monica. The mute boy is Porter. He could end up a psych major. He's undeclared. He also is very shy around pretty women so. I'll talk for him to the extent I can. I have known him for about 12 hours so... you'll have to forgive me if I don't entirely interpret his grunts and gesticulations exactly correctly."

She followed along, chattering idly with the professor, getting a good read on the layout of the building. It was indeed labyrinthine "shame I don't have a ball of string" She makes the classical allusion joke, but is used to her somewhat dorky sense of humor being missed. Gabi got her, but of their friend group she assumed Nick would probably get her best. Shame he wasn't better looking. "I really appreciate you showing us around. We'd never have found this place in time, and then instead of being memorable as diligent students who showed up a day early, we'd be on your shit list. The kids who snuck in halfway through and sat in the back."

When they reached the room, Monica peeked in. She'd been part of her town's largest graduating class... 90 kids. This room looked big enough for all of them and then some. For the first time since coming here she felt a little daunted "Uh, not to come off as the bumbling country girl, but do Y'all really fill this room up for this class?" She shifted a little "I don't think I've ever had a class of more than 20." She joked to cover her nervousness "maybe I SHOULD have gone to that little liberal arts college. It was only like 60 grand a year..."

 

[Halcyon638]

Professor Howe grinned at Monica's candor. "I won't be offended if you don't strive for that 'A.' In fact, it's a little refreshing--usually, I'm dealing with students who are insisting they always get A's and they don't understand how I could possibly give them an A- on their paper."

As Monica commented on the size of the lecture hall, the Professor remarked, "Don't worry. I'm from a small town in southern Cal, and there was definitely a culture shock when I went away to college. I'm sure you'll do fine. It is a large class, but I try to do my best to get to know as many of you as I can. Or at least remember your names and faces," she said, checking the tech setup near the front of the room. "We also have some great TA's this semester. They'll make sure you don't feel lost in the shuffle."

"Great," Porter managed to say.

"Nice to meet you both," the professor said, walking toward the door. "I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday."

Porter and Monica made their way back to meet up with Nick and Layla, who were on their way to another hall. "I now have memorized the location of a vending machine in every building I have classes in," Nick said triumphantly, munching on some Doritos.

"They put them in obvious locations. It's not like they hide them," Layla said with an amused grin while drawing in her sketchbook again.

"It's still impressive--Monica's totally impressed," Nick said, fake nacho cheese caked onto the corners of his mouth. Monica could see that Layla was sketching what appeared to be a superhero of some kind dressed in variations of a similar costume.

Eventually, Nick, Porter, and Layla began to make plans to meet up in one of the dining halls for dinner.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica watches her go and playfully ribs Porter "gonna have a hard time talking in that class huh" she winks at him, then goes and meets the trio.

She looks over Layla's notebook, trying not to snoop "is that an original character or something from a tv show or something?"

She loomed over, finally giving in and letting herself be seen seeing it "Those are great sketches. Do you draw a lot of this sort of thing?"

She looked over at Nick "you have some schmutz..." gesturing at the corner of his mouth.

 

[Halcyon638]

"Thanks," Layla said. "I like to draw my own characters but I also like to draw new costumes from real superheroes. I mean, 'real' as in ones from the movies. Not 'real' 'real.'" She showed Monica a few of her sketches.

After paging through the sketches, Monica let them know that she'd already made dinner plans (telling them it was with an old friend so as to not seem like she was avoiding them), then prepared to head to the diner where she'd encountered the wounded proprietor the night before. She was starting to get hungry in any case.

Checking her phone for any updates about the shooting last night, she felt gut-punched as she came across a photo of Tom in her social media feed. It was a post from Tom's brother, Ian, showing the two of them sporting sunglasses outside of the grandstand at the state fair as they made their way in to attend a concert. Tom's luminous smile still had the effect of making her feel an almost giddy rush of joy, only now it was tempered by an immediate wave of sadness.

Although Ian was a year younger, with the sunglasses on, they looked so much alike. Tom was a bit taller and Ian's hair was shaggier.

"One year ago today," Ian wrote. "Still waiting for the day when seeing a pic like this doesn't feel like getting stabbed in the heart. Miss you, brother." Tom's younger brother had already been getting in and out of trouble at school and with alcohol and drugs before Tom had been killed, barely graduating high school. The last Monica had heard from Tom's mom, Ian was paying lip service to the idea of taking some community college courses near their hometown but his mother was doubtful as to whether it would happen.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica sat and stared at the screen for a long while. Finally, she posted a response "there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of your brother. I understand how hard it is to move past this, because I can't. Come see me when you have some time."

She sighed and looked down at the phone. Maybe she should scrap this weird vigilante business and take care of Ian. Tom would want that. He'd prefer it to be sure... but at the same time she felt like she'd never move on if she was just cleaning up after his brother's mess. Tom would always be right there. Ian wasn't Tom. She'd been attracted to Tom because he was good looking, but more because he was so capable. He was good at the things he put his mind to. That was hot. His competence was hot. She could look up to him, and admire where he was going in life. Being around him made her want to be better. Chasing after Ian wouldn't replicate that. Still, if she could get him to come to Prospect City she could keep an eye on him... honor Tom that way.

She finally hauled her maudlin ass off the steps she was sitting on and headed on down to the diner. She was starving.. but she was always starving. She looked around for the guy who was shot, though she expected he wouldn't be there, and put herself down at the counter, looking over the menu. when the waitress came around she offered a smile "what's good? I've never been here before."

 

[Halcyon638]

The waitress was a matronly woman in her 50s with curly dark hair and a friendly smile. "Welcome! Lamb or beef kofta very popular. So is shawarma. You waiting for someone?"

Monica shook her head and told her that it would just be her tonight. "Just you? It is dangerous for a girl to be alone in this part of town by herself at night. You call a taxi or a--an Uber after, okay? Pretty girl like you should have a date," she added. Monica placed her order and the woman walked off to attend to another table. She noticed an old picture showing the man who had been shot in the leg last night smiling and hugging the woman in front of the restaurant, while a toddler stands in front of them.

While she waited for her food, she received a DM from Ian. "Hey Mon. Sorry long time no message or anything. Been trying to avoid social for the same reasons that everyone always says. Would be cool to see you. I'm actually coming into town tomorrow evening to see about this drummer gig. Don't want to blow up your whole new college spot tho if you've got something else going on."

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica replies "its Monday night. Not even college kids drink on Monday nights. I'm sure Gabi would love to see you too. Stop by our place before or after your meeting." She gave him the details, then looked around a bit. The food was decent, and plentiful so mostly she just ate. As for the neighborhood sucking, well.. that was a bit of a bonus. Still she wasn't entirely dressed for that. She paid quietly, then headed home. Slipping into the apartment she put on her "running clothes" black sweats, hoodie, balaclava. Black socks and black running shoes. Gabi said something about her needing reflective tape but that was the last thing she needed.

A little after it started to get dark she started a jog through the park. her mask was down, but her hoodie pulled so nobody would notice it until she was on top of them. She ran slowly, not in it for the exercise so much as attempting to present a soft target. As she ran she thought about Ian and what she'd do with him. Hopefully he got a gig but at the same time she wished he'd settle down a little. They'd been in the same grade, but with her held back a year she was his brother's age... which is one reason she'd ended up with Tom.

 

[Halcyon638]

"Hey, girl," a voice called to her from behind. "A little late for a jog." Glancing over her left shoulder, she saw a pair of hardened, sneering, heavily tattooed men stepped away from the base of a nearby monument. Monica heard the click of a gun.

"She probably running all night to get an ass that fine," the other man said.

The man that held the gun let his eyes travel down her body, which was lit by a nearby lamppost. "Yeah, I like that. I'm going to need your wallet and your phone. And maybe--maybe--I'll stop there."

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica edges closer, keeping her face down "i don't carry a wallet" she pulled her phone out, holding it out a little "I'm not stupid. Who carries cash in this city? i mean really. its 2022." she shifted a little, looking up and waiting for the man to get closer, wanting him to be grabbing the hpone before she struck, figuring either the man with the gun would get close, or the man without it would get between them and she could use him for cover.

 

[Halcyon638]

The man with the gun approached while his partner continued to leer at her. "You got some attitude to you--I like that," the gunmen said. Monica was willing to bet he wouldn't like what came next.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica waits till the man is close, then fumbles her phone out of a gloved hand. Quick as a flash she reached out, trying to use her speed and strength to get ahold of the gun, or at least get a hand on it so she can force it around towards him. at the same time, she presses in, trying to move so that the barrel of the gun isn't pointed straight at her gut, even as she struggled to get the weapon under control. Once she had a handle on that, the fun could really start...