Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[Halcyon638]

Gabi draped her hands over Monica’s shoulders as she called. She received an automated notice that the number she called was out of order. At the same moment, she heard another car approaching the driveway.

Gabi strode to the window. “Damn it.” She glanced over at Monica. “It’s my dad.” A minute later, both James and Orlando were at the door.

“Mija?” Orlando called. “Can I talk to you?”

Gabi crossed her arms over her chest. “Why?”

“Please, honey. Let’s talk. Give me a chance.”

James made eye contact with Monica and headed toward the kitchen.

When Monica was in the kitchen with her father, he glanced back toward the living room. “Not the best timing,” he said. “Tried to hop in the car and follow the guy but Orlando blocked me in. Any luck with the call?”

A reverse phone look-up listed an Ohio resident, Raisa Hammad, listed as a 28-year-old woman. James tore apart two slices of pizza. “When he was at Denny’s, did he say anything to you? Look at you a certain way? If the feds suspected there’s a…Swede living in this house, it wouldn’t make sense to come up with some pretext to go snooping around in the backyard.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica hmmms "so. if he's not here from immigration..." She keeps the talk casual "Its just weird. Like... maybe he followed Kayla when we left Denny's? we weren't exactly looking in the rearview mirror to figure out if some weird middle aged pervert was following us home. Its cottersville. you don't really expect that sort of thing out here you know?" She ate a bit, considering "so I mean. What could the other answer be? I mean. Giving the fake number and shit... that says more pervert to me. like. if he was from some group that knew its ass from a hole in the ground then well. he'd have had a ready number that lead to a recorded line and all that. I mean, if its just that well. I can handle a peeping tom if he comes back around."

 

[Halcyon638]

James itched the side of his jaw, getting a bit of pizza sauce on it before wiping it off with a napkin. “Yeah, it’s strange. I just want you to be extra cautious, okay? And Kayla—you should let her know as well. Maybe one of your friends knows him?”

About ten minutes later, they heard the door close and Gabi walked into the kitchen. “There are some barbecue wings with your name on them, young lady,” James said. The Latina managed a weak smile.

“Thank you. I’m not super hungry.”

“Well, let me just grab a slice and I’ll be out of your hair,” James said. He took a piece of meat lover’s and patted Gabi on the shoulder gently on his way out.

“So…what was that all about with the guy at the door?” Gabi inquired. As she picked at a chicken wing, she filled Monica in on what had happened with her father. “You know how he is. He always wants to be the peacemaker. He was trying to get me to go back home and, like, promising we’ll work it all out, and I’m like, ‘no. I’m not going back until she one hundred percent apologizes to me.’ We’re not going to like, compromise on something. She needs to completely reverse all the shit she said or that’s it.”

Gabi rinsed her fingers under the kitchen sink. “I’m sorry. I know you wanted to spend time with your dad while you’re here and I’m just a needy mess. We should all watch a movie together or something.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica tugged Gabi in "Some creeper that was at Denny's. I thought he might be here for reasons other than being a creeper but... he wanted to snoop around in the back yard for some reason" She shrugged "honestly I should go out there and make sure he didn't already do that. maybe call the cops too." she kissed Gabi's neck, nuzzling "we can watch a movie or something, but I'm not gonna abandon you to spend time with my dad. Obviously some coming out stories are more uh... reasonable... than others. I got lucky with mine. I mean it helps that my mom was an alien so finding out your daughter eats pussy well. its just not that shocking."

 

[Halcyon638]

“Thank you, carino,” Gabi said, kissing the side of her face lightly. “Let’s watch a movie together. The three of us.” When she mentioned eating pussy, the brunette grinned. “Speaking of which…is your dad, like, a heavy sleeper?” She playfully nibbled Monica’s ear lobe.

Monica was joined on her search of the backyard by her father. Neither spotted anything out of place; the lock to the shed in which he had built the Sliver and stored some other Centauri technology was secured. There were likewise no signs of a loose dog. “Listen. If you guys need some time together tomorrow, I’m happy to get out of your hair.” Monica knew he’d taken the day before Thanksgiving off. “I need to make a grocery store run and I can find other stuff to keep me busy, okay? You just let me know.”

He patted Monica’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Sara freaked out like that. I still don’t really understand humanity and their weird hangups about sex. It’s completely illogical. But I know there’s no explaining that to her.”

Zoe texted: “Thinking of you guys and hoping you’re both okay. Hugs.”

“Did you get in touch with your friends about the Denny’s guy? See if anyone noticed anything or knows him?” James asked.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica hmmmed "no in the rush I forgot." She texted Kayla and Zoe "hey do you remember like, some old guy... like 30 or so at the dennys? sort of blond? He showed up at my house. Was just wondering if it was a coincedence. "

She wrapped an arm around Gabi "you're family, Corazon. So you will spend the day with my family, which is your family." She kissed Gabi's temple, then squeezed her tight against her "I don't know if he is or not so you'll have to be quiet" she whispered, then nipped at Gabi's neck playfully.

 

[Halcyon638]

Kayla and Zoe replied, the former not recalling him and the latter just recalling seeing him scrolling down his phone when she walked past his booth to the bathroom.

The next afternoon, after a lazy morning, Monica and Gabi accompanied James to the grocery store to stock up for the holiday. Kat had offered to bring over barbecue brisket and he’d agreed to pick up all of the side dishes as well as a dessert. “Turkey’s overrated, am I right?” James said as they placed their haul on the conveyor built near the register. “We’ll start a new tradition.”

“Ugh,” Gabi sighed, looking down at her phone as they made their way through the crowded parking lot. She showed Monica a few texts from her 9-year-old sister, Ana saying that she missed her and asking when they were going to build Lego together. “There’s, like, an 80 percent chance that my mom is putting her up to this. I’m thinking about asking Aaron to bring her and Matt to Pie Heaven tonight,” she said, referring to Cottersville’s pizza joint.

As they were walking to the car, Monica spotted Amy Reed, Tom mother. She was a tall, thin woman, her brown hair dyed a barely passable blonde, who appeared to have lost even more weight in the last few months. Her eyes were fixed on her phone as she idly piloted the cart one handed to her charcoal-colored SUV.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica looked over and felt uncomfortable. Seeing Tom's mother made her feel all over again like dating Gabi was some sort of massive betrayal of her boyfriend... even though Tom himself would have pushed her to go be happy. It was hard to shake that feeling, and she was tempted for a moment not to acknowledge the woman but Tom also would have wanted her to be there for Amy. "Mrs. Reed!" She called over "Amy!" She sprinted over, calling out for the older woman "Hey!" trying to get her attention.

 

[Halcyon638]

Amy’s big round eyes grew even wider as she spotted her late son’s girlfriend. “Monica.” She smiled and extended her arms, pulling the younger woman in for a hug. Her maroon fleece smelled strongly of cigarettes and incense. “So good to see you.” She waved to Gabi and James, then greeted them both as they approached. “How have you been? How’s school?”

“Hi, Mrs. Reed,” Gabi said, warmly.

“You manage to find any cranberry sauce?” she asked them as a group. “I had to just about fight an old woman to get a can of pie filling.” Taking Monica’s hand, she said, “Listen. We’ve been…we’ve been cleaning out parts of…Tom’s room and there are some things…some things I think you should have. Can you stop over some time while you’re here?”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nodded "I would love to come over. Absolutely. Maybe I can come Friday?" She squeezed Amy's hand "anything of Tom's... well i'd be grateful for it" She smiled at the older woman "Just so you know... we see Ian once a week or so. We try to make it to his shows. I know he got arrested and all but... you know he's doing ok. He's got a job, his band is good. I know that he probably doesn't call home as much as he should so... I thought maybe you should know that he's doing ok."

 

[Halcyon638]

“Friday would be great. Come by any time,” Amy said. When the topic shifted to Ian, the older woman’s lips tightened for a moment, then relaxed into her normal expression once more. “I’m glad you’re keeping in touch. He’s actually getting in this afternoon. It’s nice to hear some good news about him for once.”

She caught up a bit with Gabi and James, with the brunette trying to sound as casual about her family as possible. “Well, happy Thanksgiving, guys,” Amy said. “Great to see you.”

When they’d made it back home and Gabi and Monica were curled up on the couch watching a science documentary, the brown-haired girl said, “So, Aaron’s going to swing by with Ana and Matt around 7:30 and we’re going to hit Pie Heaven. You wanna come?”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nodded "I'll call first, so I'm not interrupting anything" She waved to Amy and headed off with Gabi "No you know, I think I'm gonna skip it." She had a feeling like she should be at the house in case that guy came back "I'll spend some time with my dad. You go have fun. See your sister."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi slipped an arm around Monica’s waist and pulled her close. “Okay. I’m glad you’ll get to spend time with your dad. Ana keeps asking about you, though, so we’re going to have to like, do one afternoon hanging out with her. You’re so much cooler than her older sister,” she said, grinning.

That evening, James and Monica watched James’s pick for a movie, Annihilation, going to town on some bags of candy and junk food they’d snagged at the store. They were about halfway through the movie when the alarm in her father’s SUV suddenly began blaring.

James exchanged a glance with Monica. “Sit tight,” he said, presumably going off to grab his shotgun.

 

[siobhancan99]

"sit tight he says to the superhero" Monica sighed and went not to the window where she could see the SUV, but out the back door, assuming that the intrusion was a diversion and that whatever was happening wouldn't be at the car. she looked around, letting her eyes acclimate to the dark, glad for her superior night vision. Taking a moment, she scanned the back yard and the shed area, looking for movement or anything out of place.

 

[Halcyon638]

Monica saw nothing suspicious in the backyard. Her father emerged from upstairs with the shotgun and began peering out the front windows. "The van's there. Curbside," he observed, "though I don't see him." James unlocked the front door and stepped outside.

 

[siobhancan99]

"Dad be careful. I'm gonna head around the side of the house..." Monica slipped out the back, making her way around the side opposite the SUV. She kept low, wanting to avoid being seen and also mostly wanted her father to be seen taking care of things. A girl beating a guy up might clue people into her being the nighthawk. An over protective father with a shotgun killing a guy... well.... they were rural as fuck. There'd be nothing out of the ordinary there.

 

[Halcyon638]

“Will be, honey,” James said. Monica made her way outdoors, the cool November air biting into the bare skin of her face. Slowly, she crept around the house to their driveway.

When she turned the corner, she spotted her father, gun aimed at the man who was pressed back against their garage door, his arms raised to the air.

“You’re a hard man to reach,” the blond-haired man said, speaking the Centauri language.

“What? What did you just say?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your native tongue, Korrovor.”

James’s eyes widened. “What the fuck do you want?”

“I just want to talk. Is the house empty tonight?”

 

[siobhancan99]

'Well' Monica thought. 'suspicions lightly confirmed' But really this was worse. Either this was some guy trying to recruit her father to gallavant about the universe, or maybe he just wanted to put together a Centauri community on earth. Frankly, from what she'd heard, Earth was nicer than a lot (if not all) the small colony worlds. The worst of all worlds would be if this guy did work for the government, but he was a little ham-fisted about his approach. It seemed like amateur hour. The interesting question would be how he found James, when the Centauri command structure was by necessity decentralized. Had he been talking to Beloc? did that mean Beloc was back?

Also he seemed young for a centauri. Though James looked a good bit younger than his human counterparts She did the math. She was born in 2003 after her parents had been here... 5 years? So he was too old to be earth born. If he was 30 though he'd have been too young to be part of the first wave unless he was a cover. The damnable part of not growing up with other Centauri is this guy could be anywhere from 30 to 200 for all she knew. She stayed quiet, in case her dad decided to say she wasn't in the house.

 

[Halcyon638]

James tightened his grip on the weapon. “The house is empty but if you think you’re setting a damned foot in there, you’re sorely mistaken. I hear the Denny’s is good.”

The hints of a smile appeared on the man’s face. “Coffee’s on me. That goes for you, too,” he said, calling over to where Monica crouched.

“You do not talk to her,” James said.

“Wherever you want to talk,” the man said.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica sighed and came out from the shadows "Going to Denny's and jabbering at each other in Centauri is just going to raise eyebrows." She folds her arms "you got something to say to my dad, why don't we just do it outside, here in the middle of fucking nowhere where nobody has any reason to look askance at us."

 

[Halcyon638]

The man made eye contact with Monica for a length of time that was just a few seconds past comfortable. “Fine with me. Put the shotgun down, though, Korrovor. I’m not the enemy.”

“Not so sure about that,” James said, lowering the weapon, “back porch.” He pointed toward the backyard, and the man nodded.

“So who are you?” James asked when the three of them had made their way out back. The man stood on the back deck about six feet away from Monica and her father.

“No one important. My name is Thalrem. Or John. Frankly, I prefer John. And you are the engineer.” He turned away, putting the broad expanse of his back facing them as he looked across the yard.

“I’m an engineer.”

Turning back to them, he said, “We need your help.”

“Who exactly is we?”

John/Thalrem shook his head. “If you’re playing dumb for your daughter here, I think you can stop. She seems like a girl who can handle it,” he said, looking her in the eye again with an unsettling gleam.

“I’ve got a real itchy trigger finger, so if you can find your way to the point sometime before Christmas…”

“About two months ago, we lost contact with Centauri High Command. The Beacon isn’t working. In the event that the Beacon isn’t working, my orders are to seek out the Engineer.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica had a lot of questions. A LOT. For one "High command? what is that like 4 old dudes clinging to the shattered remnants of their star empire, huddled on miserable colony worlds fighting for scraps?" and for two "hey do you know anything about the weird space jedi sending me creepy sex dreams" and for three "when did you even get here" and "Surely there are other engineers who landed besides my dad" But for now, this had to be James' show. It was his life that would be disrupted here. So she put her hand on his arm and waited for his response.

 

[Halcyon638]

John looked at Monica’s father inquisitively. “How much have you exactly told her about our people?” Looking at her, he added, “You and your father should talk.” When asked about the “space jedi,” he shook his head. “Sorry. Maybe you should see a therapist.”

James lifted the barrel of the shotgun as a reminder. “She was asking me,” John said in his defense. “If you have to know, I arrived here in 2002.” It was the same time that her father and mother had arrived. “I’m told the only other engineer capable of this kind of work killed himself.” He shook his head and scoffed. “Suicide, can you believe that? Humans.”

“I was placed on inactive reserve six years ago,” James told him as he lowered the gun again, a period of time coinciding with his wife’s departure.

“That was under the old regime,” John noted.

“And who exactly are the new regime?”

“Same assholes, different names,” John said. “Anyway, it’s not like I’m asking you to raid a Pharannic command post. I get it. You’ve gotten comfortable and probably just want to sit and have your nice big turkey with your daughter over here. I respect that. After that, we need to fix the Beacon.”

They could hear a car pulling up front and the sound of Latin pop coming from the vehicle.

“Fine,” James said.

 

[siobhancan99]

MOnica shook her head. "No. not fine. We want things. You need him more than he needs you. He gets to take whatever he feels like from your workshops and fabricators at the beacon for starters. He gets to use it to contact my mother for two, and for three you teach me to fight. You're clearly a commando and a house member. You have the unbridled arrogance to come here and make demands that says you never got over your sense of entitlement, even after 20 years of living on this planet, and the lack of technical know how to be a lower caste. That means you're here to fight and that means you can show me how to use our weapons. Lastly, you fuck off and leave my dad alone after this. That's the cost. This is not a negotiation."

 

[Halcyon638]

A surprised grin crossed the absurdly handsome man’s face. “All of your terms sound more than reasonable. What do you think, Dad?” They heard a car door closing now.

Her father’s expression was intense but otherwise unreadable at the moment. “Yes. Fine. Mon, can you go inside to, uh…unlock the door.” Turning to John/Thalrem, he said flatly, “Give me your phone number. A real one this time.”

When Monica entered the house, she realized she’d gotten a text from Gabi asking, “I’m at the door and that van is at the curb. Everything okay?”