Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[Halcyon638]

As she tried to grab the gun, the gunman shielded the weapon with his left arm, managing to step back just enough so the weapon was out of her grasp. "You crazy bitch!" he shouted, trying catch her with a right hook to the head. Monica easily ducked it but then had to contend with the other thug. He rushed at her, arms extended to try to grab her. She tumbled purposefully to the right side, avoiding the attack.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica circles to keep the helper between her and the man with the gun. Once in place she steps in again, trying to stay inside his reach. she grabs for him, one hand going to his crotch, the other grabbing for his shirt. If successful, she intends to pick him up entirely and rush into his comerade, using him as a shield to absorb any incoming shots. Regardless, even if she can't grab him she will attempt to rush into him and knock him into his compatriot.

 

[Halcyon638]

Monica successfully grabbed hold of the sweaty criminal who was attempting to do the same to her. His eyes widened in amazement at her strength. "What the fuck?!?" With a burst of strength, she plowed the held thug's body into his partner, knocking them both to the ground, the gunmen pinned underneath his partner momentarily. Both men struggled to get to their feet again, with the gunmen reaching for the pistol that lay just out of his reach.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica swung a leg out, kicking the gun away, probably a little harder than she intended "you fucked up boys" she growls, then reaches through the scrum. She takes a thumb, trying to jam it into the bottom guy's eye. She didn't weigh that much, and expected to be tossed off the pile once one of them got their bearings. her strategy was to fight as mean and dirty as she could while she was in the mix, then once they were all standing again try to knock one out. Once again she lamented the lack of a weapon, thinking she needed some kind of thing to even the odds beyond her prodigious strength. In addition to trying to injure the one's eye she bit, clamping her teeth down on whatever part of the top guy she could.

 

[Halcyon638]

A guttural howl erupted from the attacker whose eye was now being gouged by his would-be victim. The other attacker swore again and shoved Monica back. Any normal person of her stature would have been flung backward on the grass, but her strength meant she was only nudged slightly. He attempted to grab her once again but only succeeding in grabbing hold of the sleeve of her dark garment.

The other man kept his hand to his eye and rose cautiously, feeling around for the gun which was now well out of his reach in some nearby bushes.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica lets the man get ahold of her, as he's close then. She uses her best Christian Bale batman voice, sounding more like that Elizabeth Holmes from Theranos though "Mistake" she says, then lashes out, kicking with all the force she can muster for his knee, trying to bring him down to the ground and hopefully out of the fight. "stay down or you're gonna get hurt" she rasped, whether the kick made it or not.

 

[Halcyon638]

The force of Monica's kick brought forth a sickening snap in the attacker's knee, the sound of tendons twisting the wrong way. He cried out and fell to the ground, writhing and grasping the wounded leg.

"Fuck this," the other mugger said, giving up on his one-eyed search for his weapon and turning around to sprint away into the trees.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica couldn't let him get to the trees. He might decide while she was tying up his friend to come back around for another round. Maybe having found his gun. She sprinted after him, powerful legs springing her forward as she ran. As he moved around a bench she jumped easily over it. She'd run a little track in High School, though she'd had to hold back "you can't let anyone know how much better you are then them, pumpkin" her father used to say. So she'd focused on form. Swimming was the same. Always come in second. Still, she had excellent form and now she didn't have to hold back. as she parkoured over the bench, she put on an extra burst of speed, hoping to slam the guy into a nearby tree. "maybe you'll stop with my wallet and my phone, fucker? maybe ill stop with crushing your balls."

 

[Halcyon638]

Hurling herself through the air, Monica put the full force of her momentum into the running man. Her shoulder smashed into his back and then he went face-first into the trunk of a tree. A spurt of blood erupted from where his nose impacted with the bark, and he fell onto the ground, letting out only a faint moan.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica picks the man up in a fireman's carry and hauls him back towards his injured friend. She ties his wrists and ankles together, and looks at the man crawling away on his injured leg. "I'm calling 911 so you might as well stay put." she fished the unconscious man's phone from his pocket and dialed 911 with a gloved hand, then threw the phone on the ground. Walking over to the bushes she retrieved the gun, then fired it again and again into the ground until the clip was spent. Walking over to the man who was trying to get away, she moved to intercept him "Tell me, asshole. Feel like a big man, attacking a little girl with your friend and a gun? huh? do you?"

 

[Halcyon638]

The two men didn't utter a word to her. By the time the cops approached near enough that Monica could be sure they would find her two attackers, it was a little past 10. The adrenaline was still pumping in her veins and the night was still young, but she had an early morning the next day, with the the first of her 3 courses for the day kicking off at 9:05.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica ran home, avoiding the cops in case they tried to get a witness statement. She contemplated a bullet proof vest, as both miscreants so far had guns. They were like 500 bucks though and that meant a job... though maybe she could rob the robbers? something to think about. She wasn't keen on getting shot.

The run did nothing to bleed off the energy she had when she got home. She felt alive in ways she hadn't since the spring when Tom's parents had called with the news. When she got back to the apartment she called for Gabi but heard a laugh behind the closed door, and some sounds of fooling around. She flushed, jealous, and headed in to shower. She stood under the hot water, hoping to get rid of her aching arousal and trying to work out if she should be ashamed about this link of sex and violence. Her dad said it was part of the Centauri makeup though.

After, she lay in bed. She could hear the soft moans and then giggles of the pair making out in the next room. She sighed, and for the first time in months her hand slid down into her shorts. She sighed softly, just intent on teasing herself a little. She brushed her fingers along her lips and inhaled, then exhaled slowly. Her middle finger dragged along between, then two fingers tugged softly at her mons. She bit her lip, thinking about Nolan for a minute, but he just didn't do it for her. Then Shaun. Yeah that was better. Shirtless Shaun at the basketball court. She felt a momentary pang as she thought about Gabi's boy that way but fuck it, she was getting off for the first time in half a year and if it was to Shaun it was to Shaun. She moaned and tugged her top up, cupping a breast, toying with a nipple with her thumb, thinking about him on her, pinning her down "mmm fuck yeah"

She moaned a little louder and dragged her fingers around her clit in a tight circle, brushing around and around, teasing it, stroking it and slipping away. She wondered briefly if they'd object if she went over there. Joined the fun. thoughts of Shaun mingling now with thoughts of Gabi's soft body...

She stopped abruptly "where the fuck did that come from" She shook her head, making herself think of something else. The guy from the gym....yeah that would do. She slid a finger into herself and dragged it out, teasing it around and around, brushing slowly, shorts tenting where her fingers moved. She whimpered, feeling release just beyond her reach, then started thinking about the guy from her dream. As she imagined the long hair spilling over his powerful shoulders she came hard, her whole body tensing, then relaxing in a rush of orgasm.

 

[Halcyon638]

Monica lay, satisfied at last. It had been too long since she'd came. Soon, she drifted off to sleep.

At one point, she dreamed of the dark-haired stranger again. She was in the same chamber again, seeing the vastness of space through the windows of a space ship or space station, and he sat, imperious, on a seat--a throne, she would have guessed. Again, she felt herself stepping toward him as if compelled, though there was a cruel gleam in his mesmerizing dark eyes that also made her wary. She wore a gauzy, flimsy gown of some sort, and Monica knew he could see nearly every bit of her body despite its presence. He wore a strange, dark blue and black bodysuit and a flowing cloak or cape, but somehow still managed to look commanding and enticing, rather than ridiculous.

She heard a word in her head. She didn't see the man's lips move--if he was a man--though it had a man's intonation. The word was "echelon." She awoke, suddenly, in the early morning light. She lay in a bed a few minutes until her alarm sounded.

It took Monica a few minutes to drag herself out of bed. When she heard the shower going, she recalled some of the strange (yet strangely thrilling) images that had filled her head last night as she was touching herself. She heard Gabi readying herself for the day as Monica grabbed some breakfast.

"Good morning!" Gabi said, beaming as she emerged from the bathroom. Her long, dark hair was still wet from the shower, and she was wearing tight jeans that accentuated her long legs, along with a muted pink bra which showed off a perky pair of breasts. "Almost done in there."

When Monica commented on how chipper she seemed, Gabi's grin only deepened. "Yeah...Shaun and I...we, uh..."

Monica demanded details, in a half-joking tone.

"It was...wow," Gabi said, pulling on a top now. "I've never been with a guy who...who, like, knew what he was doing there, with his, uh...mouth...and tongue." She grinned. "The beard kind of made it even better. By the time we...started, I was, like...I was already 90% of the way there. And he was...let's just say, he got me there." She glanced down at her phone. "Damn, I shouldn't even be talking about this before class. More later, okay?"

Monica got ready for her Intro. to Physics course, feeling the usual first day of class excitement and jitters. As she entered the classroom, she received a text from Tom's brother, Ian. "Should be in town around 5:00? Could meet you on campus or we can find a place near where I'm staying. Just lemme know."

She was just hitting send on a reply when a familiar face walked in the door. Austin Whittier, the basketball player, entered with a red backpack flung over one shoulder and a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked bleary-eyed from lack of sleep though still had an easy midwestern charm to him, despite the intricate tattoos that graced his athletic arms. He glanced over at Monica with what she thought was a gleam of recognition, then made his way down her row, sitting so that there was a seat in between them. "Morning," he said.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica texted off "meet me on campus, at the statue of Nikolai Tesla." and smiled over at the guy from the gym. She couldn't place Austin's name as she genuinely didn't like basketball, but she liked him and she for sure remembered him. She tilted her head as if trying to place him and offered a smile "you were at the gym the other day yeah?" She sat up straighter "Yeah. Saturday" she got her laptop out so she could start taking notes and then spared a look in his direction, eyes tracing the lines of his tattoos. Once she was all set up she turned her attention back to him "I"m Monica. Nice to meet you." she looked around "these classes are all so huge."

'You're a real smooth talker Mon' she thought to herself. 'some real fucking sexy banter there'

She shifted in her seat a little "So you a physics major or you know, just taking this class for the fun of it?" One thing she'd learned was if you keep a man talking about himself long enough he will eventually decides he likes being around you. Maybe she had some psychologist in her after all.

She got a text back from Ian, saying already he'd be a little late. 'no shit' she thought. 'took a whole two minutes for him to say he wouldn't be on time. typical.' She laughed as she tucked her phone away, setting it on silent for class and returned her attention to the gorgeous man beside her, making sure to pay attention to his response.

 

[Halcyon638]

"Okay, I thought I recognized you," the tall guy said. "I'm Austin." When she commented on the class size, he said, "Freshman, huh? Yeah, the intro-level classes tend to be pretty big. Once you get into the upper-level classes, though, they get smaller. Had a seminar last spring that was 8 people. Also, the best place to get coffee is The Mean Bean. Always a huge line so give yourself an extra 10 minutes."

He opened his MacBook as the instructor, a long-haired, glasses-wearing, rail-thin man in his 30s entered. Responding to the question about his major, he said, "Nah, the coaches pretty much freak out if any of us major in something besides business or communications. I managed to talk them into letting me do poli sci--political science. You?"

The instructor started the class by introducing himself as Dr. Albert Wu, then having everyone get into groups of 3 for an icebreaker exercise. He instructed them to each ask one another a series of questions he put up on the room's projector, and then telling them they would each be introducing a member of their group to the entire class. The questions read:

Where are you from?
What is your major?
What is your favorite movie?
If you could travel back in time, what would you go back to see?
If your house (or dorm) was on fire and you could only save one object, what would you save?

Monica and Austin paired up with another girl, an education major, to answer the questions. The education major went first, and then it was Austin's turn. "I'm from Indianapolis, I'm a Poli Sci major, and my favorite movie is probably Wall-E. If I could travel back in time, I would probably go back to when they were building the pyramids. Find out how they actually did it."

"Ancient aliens?" the ed major asked, grinning.

"Yeah, I don't really believe any of that stuff. But if I did get a chance to see some aliens, that'd be cool. I guess, if my house was on fire, I would take...probably my Magic card collection. Yes, I'm kind of a nerd." He and the education major turned to Monica.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica hmmms and thinks 'do not cry and say you'd see Tom one last time like some sort of sap' though to be honest it had been her very first thought. She inhaled, then exhaled and looked the two over "Ok. I'm Monica, I'm from Cottersville. There's a big dam there that powers a lot of Prospect City so people are either like.. farmers or work at the dam. She shifted a little bit "My major is Electrical Engineering but I'm going to dual major in Materials Science I think. It depends on the workload. Best laid plans of mice and men and all that" she worried her lip "My favorite movie is the Korean remake of 'A better tomorrow' because its like, really good action but it gives the feels at the end. I also like really old movies like Taxi Driver or The Godfather. If i could travel back in time I'd travel back to see something really personal and not historically significant." she tilted her head a minute "But I know that's sort of a copout answer so... maybe the charge of the Polish Lancers at the battle of Vienna or something. Aliens aren't real or I'd totally pick pyramids." She laughs "as for what I'd save from the apartment its my dear sweet room mate Gabi. She's been with me since we were the weird kids in elementary school. Also I own nothing that valuable that isn't safely at my dad's. Maybe an extra pair of underwear or something. I don't have like... 5000 dollars worth of collectible cards."

Ian and Tom had been into the game, so she knew plenty about how much it cost. "I can see why you'd grab them though. at least you'd have something to do while you were homeless"

 

[Halcyon638]

Austin smiled as Monica spoke. "Wow...electrical engineering and--material? Materials science? You're making me even more insecure about my major having the word 'science' in it."

He nodded as she discussed her taste in film. "Will have to check out that Korean movie. It streaming anywhere?"

When the topic of Magic cards came up, he added, "Yeah, not quite $5000, but I've got some decent ones. Not bragging, but I do post pics of my collection on Insta. If you ever get a craving to see a sweet first edition Force of Nature, you should follow me. Just saying."

The class was light on actual lessons for the day the syllabus looked pretty basic to her, but it was a required course for her major. At the end, Monica began to pack up her things to get ready for her Intro. to Film course, which began at 10:10. "You know, I also like non-Pixar movies," Austin said in passing. "I was sorta feeling self-conscious about saying a movie I saw when I was 10 is my favorite movie. I mean, it is, but...yeah, I also like adult movies--not, like, adult adult movies." His face reddens. "Sooo, gonna stop talking now."

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica laughs and reaches out to touch his arm, as he seemed really adorable at the moment which added a layer to his attractiveness. It was good to see he wasn't some jock douchebag. "I like animated movies too. I mean I might have said Moana. I might also have said "the sisterhood of the travelling pants" if I'd have been in a group with my high school girlfriends drinking a little wine and remembering the old days. I'm not like... super serious chick who is super serious all the time"

She lets her hand fall away "You should like the things you liked when you were ten, if they still make you happy. Some of them still make ME happy. Some of them don't. I mean... I'm not covered in glittery unicorns right now... which was like... you know a whole THING." She waves her hand dismissing her past self as absurd "But you know Frozen came out when I was ten and I can watch that movie like... every day. Some things we leave behind and some things we cling to forever." She started walking with him out of class "oh since you know your way around, what's the best way to get to Kammer Hall? I have ... ironically enough... intro to film. two electives this semester. Can't be all physics calc and chem you know?"

 

[Halcyon638]

Austin's eyes lit up at Monica's touch and his face seemed to even redden a bit more, but then he regained his composure. "Not gonna lie, I think you could make the glittery unicorns thing work now. Maybe not covered--a smattering, maybe?" Packing up his laptop, he added, "We should do a double feature sometime. Frozen and The Battle of Algiers?"

As they walked out, he said, "I'm sort of headed that way--Kammer. I can show you." It was another hot August day, despite the sky being partly clouded over. As they strolled along, Monica could see other girls checking Austin out. "Uggh, I wanted to take that film course the last two falls and none of the sections fit into my schedule. You'll have to report back to me." They arrived at the sleek modern building that was Kammer Hall.

Austin mentioned his social media handles. "In case you want some sick Magic cards in your feed semi-regularly. I understand if you can't handle that awesomeness."

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica puts the information in her phone "I don't know that I'm ready to handle that level of amazing heat" she smirks "but as for your earlier suggestion, we can do a movie. Why don't you DM me" she gives him her contacts "and we can do something this weekend." She lingered for a moment, looking up at the tall, beautiful shy boy and smiled "Anyway... I... you know. I have uh... class so I should really.." she gestured at the building "thanks for walking me over here. I'll see you Wednesday at least for physics. Also... smattering is a great word. I approve" she grinned, then slipped into the building before texting Gabi "Might have a date with Austin .... whatever... from the gym. The basketball guy."

 

[Halcyon638]

As Monica settled into her chair and waited for a text from Gabi, she received a message from her dad. "Saw you were busy last night. Think you should come home this weekend so I can show you some evening wear and accessories I've designed for you. All the latest high fashion stuff."

Curious, she checked her news feed. There was a news story about the fight in the park last night. To her shock, it had been captured by a park surveillance camera. The local and even national news was blowing up about with stories bearing headlines such as "MASKED WOMAN TURNS TABLES ON ATTACKERS." One story that seemed to be more an opinion piece suggested a connection between it and the previous night's vigilantism that took down the two Russian gunmen.

The film instructor walked in. He looked to be in his mid to late 30s, with neatly groomed, short brown hair and crisp, professional clothes, his vibe more like a marketing executive than college professor. He introduced himself as Alex Townes, then began to do the roll call. At one point, he called out the name "Hadley Knapp," but there was no response. Monica didn't think there were that many Hadleys around and wondered if it was Gabi's friend.

Just as she was about to turn the phone off and Dr. Townes ("call me Alex," he'd said) was putting up the first set of slides about the elements of film they would be studying, she received a reply from Gabi.

"Whaaaat? Holy crap! Even if you're not quite ready yet, it doesn't hurt to make friends. Especially hot sexy friends who may end up becoming multi-millionaires!"

The professor provided an overview of concepts that included plot, character, shots, editing, and mise-en-scene, using some examples from contemporary films to illustrate the broad points. The day's lesson came to a close. Monica had about an hour until her final course of the day, an academic writing class, and had talked about potentially meeting with Gabi for lunch at one of the campus's dining halls.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica blanches for a moment, thinking to herself she needs to start looking for cameras. Thank god she had the presence of mind to wear a mask. She looked around at everyone in the class, sure for a minute they all knew she was the crazy vigilante lady. When she calmed down she couldn't help but smile though. Word was getting out. It might make it harder for her to attract the wrong element, but at the same time that meant every woman alone at night was just that much safer. She thought about her father's offer and decided unless something crazy happened, she should not head out this week again. Getting shot when maybe he had something that would help with that was foolish. Risk was one thing, foolish risks another. She had to be smart about this.

She texted Gabi back "I know right? millionaire.. eh. Fine looking, sweet, shy sort of midwestern guy covered in tats though? I mean. I'm widowed I'm not dead." The text made her feel a little ashamed as if she was betraying Tom but... she could just see him shaking his head "Monica, you can't waste your life on the dead" but... Tom had known her. Known. He knew, watching her swim or at track meets that she was holding back. That she was making herself be second. He'd confronted her and she'd put him off. Finally, she realized she couldn't lie to the guy she was giving her virginity to, and she'd told him everything. He'd taken it in stride. He'd loved her anyway. He'd shared the secret that she hadn't even shared with Gabi, and she shared everything with Gabi. Tom chose to love her. He didn't have to like her parents. Fuck this was hard. She shouldn't have to go through this she was 19.

She paused on the street and leaned against a building, letting herself wallow for a moment. She then distracted herself on the way to lunch looking for news about the incident with the tech exec that had overshadowed her weekend activities.

When she got to lunch she grabbed two burgers and a massive pile of curly fries, then sat down with her beautiful friend. "hey gorgeous" she sipped at her Dr. Pepper, then tucked into her meal "You heard from Hadley today? I think she missed class."

 

[Halcyon638]

Monica found an update regarding the recent death of an executive at the tech company, InnoVenture. There was no real no information, other than that police were actively treating Grant Bowers's death as a potential homicide.

"Hey, girl," Gabi said, nibbling at a wrap. "Huh. Hadley said she might meet up with us for lunch, too, because she has this period free. I'll text her. In the meantime, I need you to spill the deets about how you ensnared Austin."

As Monica gave her the details, Gabi smiled warmly. "So happy for you! I mean, he could be a jerk, but he sounds pretty sweet. And you have a habit of picking the good ones. Well, 9th-grade crush on Kyle Broadner and that ratty-ass mustache of his aside. How are classes going?"

Gabi recapped her first two courses, General Chemistry (which both Monica and she had taken in high school) and Genetics & Evolution. "The genetics class sounds so cool," she said. "Plus, some of us might have the opportunity to do some lab research with the professor later in the semester. He's studying overactivity in TGF-beta and genetic defects." Gabi grinned. "I'm so glad I can geek out with you and you don't just start staring at your phone. Let me know if it gets to be too much."

A few minutes later, Hadley walked over to their table. "Sorry I'm late." When Monica mentioned the class, Hadley rolled her eyes. "My fucking dad forgot to fill out a form so I had to make it over to financial aid, and of course, there was a super long line. Did I miss anything?" She seemed relieved when Monica let her know they'd only covered the basics. "Cool, thanks. I didn't know you were a film buff. We definitely need to get you all over for movie night sometime. What are you up to tonight?"

"I'm going to get my books and get started on some reading," Gabi said.

"Eww, doing homework the first day of classes?" Hadley said. "Total freshman move."

"I'm actually looking forward to it," Gabi noted, smiling. "The reading. What about you, Mon? Plans?"

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica sighs "uh. Ian wanted to grab a bite. He's in town. I told him to meet me by the Tesla statue. Of course like two minutes later he texted to say he'd be late. I half expect to sit there all night." she shrugged and explained to Hadley "He's.... I was dating a guy who passed. Ian is his younger brother. He took what happened to Tom really hard, I mean we both did, so... I am ... I feel like I have to look after him a little."

"Friday or Saturday I need to find a ride home. My dad can probably bring me back. He has some stuff of mine I forgot to bring up." She turns to Hadley "maybe tomorrow night? I'm gonna stay in most nights this week I think." She shifted a little, "I have a date. maybe. later this week. nothing definite. but probably Friday night since I'm running home this weekend too. Other than that I'm like wide open."
She twisted a little to crack her back "So what kind of movies are you into? You like, a classic girl? foreign? weird anime? What sort of stuff do you like?" She was relieved that Hadley was ok. She knew it was because of Tom, but she'd sort of assumed something terrible had happened to keep her from class.

 

[Halcyon638]

"Oh, Ian's coming to town?" Gabi said. Although Gabi hadn't known him that well as they'd run in very different circles, Monica knew she worried about him as well. "Say hi for me. And let him know he's got a place to stay with us if he needs it."

When Monica mentioned Tom, Hadley said, "I'm sorry to hear that. That's, uh...I'm sorry." The shift of topics to movies lightened the mood. "I like a variety of stuff, but I'm big into horror--Halloween, The Exorcist. I liked The Babadook a lot, Zodiac. What about you?" Monica discussed her movie tastes. "Very cool. Yeah, maybe tomorrow night. Though I might spend it catching up on reading like this nerd over here." Gabi laughed.

Finally, it was time for Monica to go to final course, a writing class, which began at 12:20. When she arrived, the instructor, Evelyn Friedberg, a 60-something-woman with a messy bun of mostly curly grey hair was fighting with the projector. Monica was setting up her laptop when she saw Shaun walk in. Gabi's new friend was poured into a dark business suit that fit his toned body perfectly.

"Hey, Monica," he said. "Mind if I grab this seat?" he asked. When she asked him about the suit, he explained, "Don't worry. I'm not one of those weirdos who goes to class every day in a suit. I've got this job interview right after." After settling in, he added, "Didn't catch you last night. How's college treating you so far?"