Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[siobhancan99]

Monica wrapped Gabi up "it was ok." She was still waiting on word from Sutter about the strange stuff she found, but so far the dull semester had been a bit of a boon. Her grades were good, she'd had some time to socialize. "I told Mel we'd watch her house this weekend. She's giving you the key thursday." she kissed Gabi's forehead "how are you? you seem worn the fuck out. You're doing too much baby." she ran her fingers through her girl's thick dark hair, curling her in against her a little tighter.

 

[Halcyon638]

“Ooh, nice,” Gabi said at the prospect of the housesitting gig. Her normally exuberant tone sounded a little flat. “I’m okay. It’s really just my Tuesdays and Thursdays that are crazy. And some Wednesdays. But otherwise…it’s just college, right? I should be busy.”

The brunette collapsed onto the couch, holding Monica’s hand and pulling her towards her. “I’m glad we’re going to help out Mel…Professor Howe. I was thinking we should do something for her. Like, get her a gift or something.” She leaned back against Monica, resting her head on the older girl’s lap.

Gabi lay on Monica’s thighs for a little bit, looking on the verge of falling asleep at any minute. “Shoot. I was supposed to read another chapter for Bio on the bus.” She started to get up.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica frowned "no. there won't be any more reading tonight baby." She ran her fingers through Gabi's hair "you can't keep running yourself like this. Its too much. you're involved in 20 things and have a job and a full class schedule. YOu have to sleep, you have to eat right, you have to take care of yourself too. Not everything has to happen in one day. drop a class or something. please."

 

[Halcyon638]

“I…can read in the morning,” Gabi relented, snuggling back onto Monica’s lap again. “I’ll be okay,” she said, yawning again and pulling her knees toward her chest. “I took time off for your birthday next week and then it’s only a couple weeks til spring break.”

A few moments later, Monica heard Gabi’s breathing shift, and her girlfriend was asleep.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica sighed. It wasn't her place to control Gabi or tell her what to do, but she was running herself ragged and to the extent she can she needs to support her. She easily hefted her girlfriend, carrying her to bed. She piled on the blankets and put Thaddeus in with her, then shut off the lights.

Suiting up, she slipped out into the night. Nothing to distract her from the thorny things she couldn't control like controlling the world around her. She summoned the sliver, and went looking for trouble.

 

[Halcyon638]

Monica had barely been on patrol for 15 minutes when she heard a terrifying, cataclysmic boom in the distance, coming from the low-income Gilliam Heights area. Turning the Sliver toward the sound, she spotted what appeared to be gigantic plumes of smoke.

As the aircraft zipped toward it, the source of the sound became clear: a derailed, flaming wreck of a train. Even from a distance, she could tell that the damage to the vehicle was extensive. Worse, the train had derailed close to several buildings, though from this stance, it wasn’t clear whether they were residential or not.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica swooped down. She had to wonder if this derailment was related to the construction that everyone had been protesting. First and foremost her concern had to be for residents. she looked to see if the buildings seemed smashed, industrial or residential. If residential she'd fly closer and look to see how to aid survivors in the building. If not, she'd land and approach the train.

 

[Halcyon638]

The scene was pure chaos. From one of the train's shattered cars, thick, black smoke wafted out. A number of emergency vehicles and cop cars were set up around the site, but the responders were keeping their distance as the cloud slowly made its way toward them, except for one pair of paramedics who had approached the front of the train.

On the other side of the train, one of the cars had struck a nearby four-story building that seemed to be inhabited, collapsing an entire wall. A person seemed to be stuck on the third story of the building, where the floor had all but collapsed due to the damage to the wall. The smoke was slowly streaming toward the building as well, as a man tried to flag down rescuers and clung to the wall near the non-existent floor.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica carefully brought the sliver nearby. She observed the building a moment, then waved to the man "i'm gonna throw a hook over. Grab it if you can and then you can swing over" She hoisted the grapple, ready to jump and grab the man if he fell, but hoping to get it where he could at least grab it.

 

[Halcyon638]

As Monica opened up the Sliver, she smelled an odor that seemed like an odd mix of bleach and burnt coffee. Fortunately, the cloud of smoke hadn’t visibly reached the building yet.

The man, who looked to be in his 40s, responded in another language, his tone frantic. When she succeeded in tossing the hook over, he reluctantly took hold of the line, then slowly propelled himself away from the heavily damaged building. Within a few seconds, he was clear of the immediate threat.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica hauled the man into the sliver. She had been close, just not touching the building. the rope had been more a precaution. She took the sliver up and away, looking to see if anyone else was clinging to the side of the building. If not she'd move the sliver a block away and set the man down before returning to the scene. If so, she'd try to grab another person. WHatever it was in that train didn't smell like it was good for human health.

 

[Halcyon638]

It appeared that the man she’d rescued was the only once visibly in need of extraction from the building. Quickly, Monica piloted the Sliver a block away and put the man down, getting what sounded like several words of gratitude from the shaken person.

Returning to the scene and surveying it, it appeared that the first responders on the scene were still reluctant to wade in, possibly because none of them yet seemed very well equipped for it. The two paramedics who had been approaching the flattened front of the train were now on the ground, one of them having fallen to their hands and knees, the other sprawled on their side, though still moving

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica popped in her rebreather, then sealed the mask around it. She waded in, running for both men. She was strong enough to carry them both easily, and so as long as they didn't struggle, she should be able to get them out. She tried to think of what could be on the train. Benzene probably, with the smell in the air. Could be something way worse though, really. So she was swift, scooping them up, and hopefully getting back away from the train to a safe distance.

 

[Halcyon638]

As Monica hauled the two paramedics away, she could hear desperate cries coming from the front of the train. Despite the rebreather and her mask, her eyes started tearing up, irritated by the noxious smoke. Utilizing her Centauri speed and strength, she quickly brought the first-responders to safety. Fire trucks, along with personnel in specialized protective gear, were starting to arrive on the scene now, though it would still likely be at least a minute or two before they were able to get to the front of the destroyed train.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica considered a moment, then bolted for the front of the train. She figured she could at least get one or two out before she had to worry about poison. She bounded up onto the train, looking inside, trying to see if there was a safe way of extracting anyone inside. If one wasn't immediately apparent she'd have to back off, but for now she wanted to get as many out as she could.

 

[Halcyon638]

The car was accordioned to about half of its normal size. As a result, the door on the side was crumpled and warped, jammed into the door frame as hands desperately pawed at a small gap between the two adjoining, large pieces of metal. Monica could feel the heat radiating off the metal even a few feet away. Her eyes again teared up at the smoke as the sirens nearby blared.

 

[siobhancan99]

MOnica didn't have long, as her air would become swiftly as poisoned as everyone else's. She reached down, jerking hard, trying to rip the door open with her alien strength, so that at the very least the trapped people could begin to rescue themselves "Stand back, im going to try to get the door open"

 

[Halcyon638]

Monica gripped the metal as hard as she could. Every muscle seemed to strain as she struggled against the bent object. A moment later, she could feel the heat passing through her gloves, singeing her hand a bit as she pulled. Despite the effort, though, the door wouldn’t give.

 

[siobhancan99]

The door was a bust, so monica looked to see if the windows were big enough to get a man through. If so, she'd kick one out and see about creating enough space to get the trapped workers out that way.

 

[Halcyon638]

The windows of the lead car were crunched against the brick façade of a building, leaving very little room for escape. However, the portion of the building’s wall pinning the survivors in looked damaged enough that a good, swift kick of her boot might create an opening. The rebreather was at capacity, meaning she would need to hold her breath from here on out.

Putting all of her strength into it once again, Monica kicked the wall, breaking off a chunk of the masonry. It was just enough to create an opening, and before long, the two workers who had been shouting frantically emerged from the gap with her help.

The middle-aged man and woman all but collapsed into Monica’s arms, but she was able to haul them clear of the lead car just as two waiting firefighters in hazmat gear were approaching. "Sweet Jesus...thank you," the woman said, her eyes flitting open and closed.

More rescue workers in protective equipment were streaming from vehicles now, heading toward the train and/or assisting in setting up perimeters.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica made her way away from the train. Whatever it was in there that was poisonous, she wasn't willing to take the risk of breathing in. Now that more adequately equipped rescuers were in the area, she moved back away. As she did so, she contemplated the crash, wondering if it was related to the development that ian had been protesting. Not everything in the world was connected but...

 

[Halcyon638]

“We got it from here,” one of the firefighters said in a reassuring tone, “thank you.” As she was moving away, hands still hurting a bit from the hot metal of the door, she heard cheers and claps coming from those who weren’t actively engaged in the rescue efforts, including some cops who had set up a perimeter and curious bystanders.

In the next few days, the news coverage revealed that it was going to take days if not weeks to get to the bottom of the crash. Somehow, only 5 people had died, while others were injured either from the crash itself or from inhaling the chemicals.

“Querida, take a look at this,” Gabi said to Monica as the older girl was finishing up getting ready to make their way over to Melanie’s after their Friday classes. The dark-haired biology major was sitting on the couch, gazing at her tablet, dressed in a tight white sweater and jeans. “Didn’t you fight an electricity guy at some point?”

Cutting Edge Tech, Superhuman Powers Suspected in R&T Vault Heist

Federal and local law enforcement agencies believe that advanced technology or superhuman abilities were used in a Wednesday night raid on the vault of R&T Bank in Preston Center. The heist, which occurred around 2:30 AM on Wednesday in Prospect City’s financial district, netted the perpetrators approximately $3 million dollars in valuables. Authorities report that portions of the bank’s electrical systems were shut down by some sort of focused electrical signal, which was also used in the near-fatal electrocution of two security guards on the scene. One of the guards reported seeing a woman in a red bodysuit and mask who “walked through walls like something out of a horror movie.”

Federal authorities have questioned executives at InnoVenture, previously linked to an incident in which disgruntled former employee Kevin Bowman used an Electrical-Charge Manipulation System (ECMS) to murder 32-year-old InnoVenture Grant Bowers before attempting to murder Bowman’s ex-partner. Bowman is being incarcerated at Beatty State Penitentiary after having been apprehended following a fight with Nighthawk, but InnoVenture spokeswoman Penelope Zhen released the following statement: “In late December, an InnoVenture storage facility was robbed by an unknown perpetrator or perpetrators. We can confirm that a version of the Electrical-Charge Manipulation System was taken. Because the project had been shelved due to safety concerns following the Grant Bowers tragedy, the theft was only recently discovered.”

Federal and local authorities are now working with InnoVenture’s internal security to investigate the theft of the ECMS.

 

[siobhancan99]

"Yeah. Oh god Ian was there. I had to send him to get the police so he wouldn't find out I was a vigilante."Monica looked over the article, running her hand along the small of Gabi's back "I'm more worried about the walking through walls shit. I can't punch a ghost and punching is kinda the only thing i've got. I mean punching and a smokin hot girlfriend, but I can't just flash your boobs at people and have them surrender." She grinned at Gabi, making a joke because she needed Gabi to be comfortable with her lifestyle. "fortunately, I know I can take the blasts from the electricity gun, and the armor might make that even easier. It sucks. I mean it suuuuucks but I can take it."

Since there was still a nip in the air, Monica was wearing a white v-neck t under a blue sweater, with jeans tucked into brown boots. She grabbed a coat, then slung her backpack on, laden with books for studying for the weekend. "If they hit another target, I might want you to brainstorm with me over similarities in targets, times and approaches." Gabi was really smart, and including her in doing detective work seemed like a good idea for helping her feel part.

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi smiled, reaching up and stroking the side of Monica’s face as she looked over her shoulder at the news. When the older girl mentioned the possibility of including her in the investigation, she said, “Yes! I would love to help. Not that…I want them to rob again or anything. Sorry. Got too excited for a minute.”

As they turned off the lights, she added, “Speaking of getting excited…tell me more about this smokin hot girlfriend of yours.” She placed her soft, warm lips against Monica’s cheek as they stepped outside.

The subway took them to within a ten-minute walk of Melanie’s neighborhood, all in all, a 30-minute commute. It was an upper-middle class neighborhood adjacent to a small park, with elegant homes that were generally of older design but still in excellent repair, including the psychology professor’s two-story home.

The inside of Melanie’s house was eclectically yet tastefully decorated. Not surprisingly, bookcases were everywhere, with topics ranging from psychology to the visual arts to politics and true crime. “Wow. I love this house,” Gabi mused as they entered and explored a bit. “Kitty,” she called out softly in a friendly voice, trying to lure the animal out. “Come here, kitty!”

There were a handful of pictures of Paige hanging from the walls, including one of Melanie in her wedding dress embracing the blonde-haired woman and smiling for the camera. As Gabi and Monica carried their stuff into the good-sized guest bedroom, the hallway took them past a shot of the red-haired woman in her early twenties standing at the top of a mountain overlooking rocky terrain below, looking luminous in the sunlight. “Whoa. Check out young Melanie.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Wrapping her arms around Gabi, she tugged her back against her. She ran her hands along Gabi's stomach, under her sweater "yeah she was really beautiful. Still is." She kissed Gabi's neck just below her ear "don't go falling in love with your therapist, baby. I mean, I know the allure of a wealthy older woman is pretty strong and all." She nibbled Gabi's earlobe and ran her hands along her sides "But I like to think I'm no slouch in the looks department and you know. I'm kind of a local celebrity" She laughed and inhaled Gabi's scent, then sighed softly into her ear "Eventually I can get you into nice restaurants. I wont be able to eat with the mask on, but I can sit there and make conversation."

She slipped her hands up a little brushing just under Gabi's chest, stroking her skin. "If I really keep at it, I might get one of those comically oversized keys to the city and I might get to cut a ribbon when they build some new building" Her tongue flicked teasingly along Gabi's ear "and you'll miss out on that and have to console yourself with eating out your hot older wife while you live the life of a kept woman in a big beautiful house."