The Night Is Young [Gaunt]

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“The night is young and you’re so beautiful,” Charlie sung under her breath as she weaved skillfully through the crowd of people enjoying the night life. She ‘accidentally’ bumped into a man in an Armani suit, “Oh man I’m so sorry!” Charlie said with an embarrassed smile and gently pat the man down as if brushing him off. His wallet was on his inside left pocket and his phone rested in his outer right. “You know the streets at this hour, they’re just stuffed with people!” As she brushed him off some more Charlie lifted his wallet with ease as well as his phone.

“People enjoy the night life,” the older man said with a smug smile. Charlie almost rolled her eyes at him but smiled back, “Oh yea and I love the people of the night life. They just make for interesting conversation! Well I’m off! Sorry again sir,” she shook his hand and unlatched his shiny rolex before disappearing back into the crowd. The older man would notice his items missing later in the night but Charlie would be long gone by then.

She kept humming as she put her goggles back on and her hood up. There were a couple of easy marks up ahead and Charlie, or Comet, wouldn’t need to actually speak with them. So the night went on as such before she finally ducked into an alley to count her haul. Seven wallets, five watches, two diamond bracelets and three phones. “Not bad,” she said and started emptying the wallets whilst still singing under her breath. It had been a great night!

[Gaunt]

It was supposed to be a standard cigarette jaunt. Pop out, hit up his favorite 7-11, pop back in. Gaunt hadn't expected to see a familiar face. He'd read the dossiers, a petty thief with flight powers. Called herself Black Comet or something like that. He wasn't sure what a pickpocket needed with a super name, but whatever floats her boat. Gaunt shimmered out of sight as he stepped out from the shadows. Hardly anyone noticed the flickering image, and those who did assumed they had imagined it.

The crowd was too risky while invisible, a nudge and he could appear and start a panic. Luckily, he'd gotten pretty good at alternate means of travel. A streetlight shook slightly as the vampire jumped on top of it. He hopped lightly from one lamp to another, keeping an eye on the young thief below. She was pretty slick. Gaunt was a little proud, he'd been like that when he was human, back when he could move through a crowd without panicked screams following him.

Finally, she got off the streets and into his home turf. Gaunt dropped down behind her, appearing in a puff of smoke. "Nice haul, kid." He stood where he was, keeping a safe distance between them. He didn't want her feeling too threatened. "I could use someone with skills like that. You looking for work?" He had some burglars and brutes, but no good pickpockets yet. At least, none without invisibility and super-long fingers. That was hopefully about to change.

[Deleted]

She’d finished the song a while ago and was disposing of useless things like membership cards and drivers licenses. Comet just wanted the cash and the wallets, credit cards would just make for more trouble than they were worth. The black one that sat unused in her own wallet was just as useless since she refused to take it out. It may have had her name on it but none of the money it accessed was hers and she decided a long time a go to not to rely on those people anymore.

When the mysterious stranger appeared out of nowhere behind her Comet did what any normal person would do when they were surprised. She screamed and jumped about ten feet into the air nearly colliding with a fire escape. Taking advantage of scenery Comet latched onto the railing and pulled herself onto the ledge. It was the lowest one and closer to the ground so she could see the guy when she looked down, and man was he scary looking.

“W-who are you?” She called down as she looked through the bars. “What are you?” It might have been rude to ask the second question but after he just appeared out of nowhere Comet didn’t really feel like being polite. Then something he said got the best of her curiosity and she stood up a little and peeked over the fire escapes railing. “And what do you mean by ‘work’?” So far she'd just been picking pockets and taking jobs from a few people here and there, yet it didn't sound steady enough to call 'work'.

[Gaunt]

Yep, definitely confirmed as Black Comet. That was a flight jump, not a strength jump. Having super-strength himself, Gaunt knew a thing or two about what it did. If he made a jump like that, it would make a lot more noise on takeoff than she had. He stayed where he was, hands folded behind his back. She'd retreated to a place of safety, there was no reason to make her feel unsafe again. Not if he planned to hire her.

"I'm Mr. Gaunt." He didn't really see the point in the three identities ruse anymore. He had an organization, might as well take ownership of it. "I run Rat's Nest in this town. Think of us as Scoundrel's Local 305. Trade union for supers with extralegal talents. Theft, espionage, sabotage, all that fun stuff." He pulled out a cigarette, calmly lighting it. This pack was running low, but the night was still young. He'd have plenty of time to get more.

"So that's the work. We offer a regular stipend, commissions for special jobs, safehouse if you need it. What you think?" He wasn't sure if she'd heard of their merry band yet. If so, that might make things easier. When rumors spread about a Nosferatu talking to people, that part was remembered. If not, she might think it was a trap. He'd have to earn her trust if that was the case.

[Deleted]

Now he had Comet’s attention. The Rats Nest! She’d heard of them from some of her friends but they’d never given her much information on them. Altair, her thief group back in Star City, wasn’t as exclusive as the Rat’s Nest appeared to be. It would be nice to be in a team again, last time it was like family and she knew that each group was different but there was usually a family feel to it. But she also heard about the mysterious higher-ups and rumors one being a vampire, and not the sparkly pansy kind. Nosferatu was the word people were using.

So here was someone who looked like the vampire from horror films offering her a job in her second favorite field. The first was music but she planned to do that once she got enough funds to cut herself off from her parents. With this job that dream could be closer than ever. Plus it sounded like so much fun she couldn’t help but smile a little.

“I’ve heard of the Rat’s Nest, you guys sounded pretty exclusive,” she leaned on the railing, no longer cowering in fear. Comet was more suspicious of this Mr. Gaunt, he was obviously not human unless it was all a mask. A really good mask… But a job! She could be part of a team again! “What’s the catch?” Comet asked. “I mean it sounds great, almost too good to be true,” she adjusted her goggles.

[Gaunt]

Charlie seemed to chill out quite a bit at the mention of Rat's Nest. It seemed word had spread through the underworld. Maybe this wasn't such a doomed endeavor after all. That would really stick in their craw back in Los Angeles if he managed to pull through here. He knew how they operated, they were setting him up for a fall. Nothing would hurt them more than if he thrived in this crazy town.

Exclusive? To be honest he'd been sort of desperate for members, as the Psyman incident showed, but it was good that that wasn't getting around. Exclusivity made them sound better, and could draw in some new talent. He puffed on his cigarette, letting her talk. Saying anything about the exclusivity might ruin the air of mystery. If he agreed, it might sound like he was covering for something. Better to just keep quiet and let that one pass uncommented.

"Catch is you'll be on call. We might have emergency jobs, so keep ready. We'll work with your schedule as much as possible, but sometimes things just come up." So far, he hadn't had to use that option, but it sounded cool. It gave the impression that they were a big important organization doing big important things, and that could go a long way in cases like this. The too good to be true thing, on the other hand, was a little harder to get around. Gaunt just gave a wry smile. "Economy the way it is, any job's too good to be true."

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The girl thought in silence for a while well, some silence at least as her hands tapped lightly on the railing. Her musical talents may not have given her the best skills with the drums but she was still very good a keeping up a catchy beat. The answer was an easy and Comet had already made her choice but she didn’t want to seem too eager. That last thing about the economy was probably true, but she wasn’t really effected by it since her recent forms of income weren’t taxable or legal for that matter.

“On call huh? Sounds very official,” she stood up a little straighter. “Alright, I’ll take you up on your offer Mr. Gaunt. It’ll be nice to work on a team again,” Comet climbed over the rail and hung off the bottom before letting go. She’d gotten a lot better at controlling her powers since she arrived in Jump City so instead of dropping like a rock she floated gently to the ground.

She gave a big grin of triumph when her sneakers were on the cracked asphalt. “So do I start calling you Boss? Oh and you never actually answered my question of what you are.” Comet picked up a couple wallets and a watch she dropped in her little flying freak out. “Cause you don’t look human,” she put bluntly. “Unless you’re one of those deformed human that got powers in some freakish tragic accident though that’s a little cliche,” Comet said looking Mr. Gaunt up and down from a safe-ish distance, just in case.

[Gaunt]

She seemed to approve of his choice of words. Good thing, too. Talent was surprisingly hard to come by in a city with so many supers, and he needed the numbers. All the better that she thought it was all official and professional, that added to the Rat's Nest brand. Was brand even the right word? Well, that didn't matter so much. The important part was that she was in. "Glad to have you on board." he said with a fangy smile.

That glide could come in handy. One of the recurring problems Mr. Gaunt had was the sound he made falling. He could fall pretty far without getting hurt, hide from sight, but he couldn't mask that noise. Black Comet here could avoid that problem entirely. "You can call me Gaunt, or Mr. Gaunt. Doesn't matter too much." He didn't like being called boss. Carey down in L.A. had spoiled that for him. That bony bag of sleaze who had sent him here called literally everyone boss, it was part of his alleged charm.

Welp. She was still curious about what he was. He wasn't going to reveal the vampirism just yet, they still had to do all the checks. Once they made sure she was trustworthy, then he could tell her. "Not an accident. Let's just say be careful with canned powers, the side effects can be a [REDACTED] and a half." What he said was true, from a certain point of view. He had been given these powers, and the side effects were nasty. He could fill her in on the details if she checked out. Speaking of, "We still have to run a few checks. If everything turns up fine, I'll meet you back here around this time in two days. If I don't show up, either we've rescinded the offer or I've been eaten by a grue." Gaunt's image wavered like a reflection in water, then he vanished. The vampire loved doing the mysterious vanish. Right now, he had other business to attend to. Those smokes weren't gonna buy themselves.

[Deleted]

“Checks? What kind of checks?” Comet asked as she emptied another wallet. “And what the hell is a ‘grue’?” She looked up at where Gaunt last stood but there was nothing there. “Whoa…” that was a pretty cool trick! But what did he mean by ‘checks’, it was probably background checks. To see her record as Black Comet? If that were the case then she could have given him references like Hugh at the Bling Ring Pawnshop, Comet was one of his best providers of high quality items. She had the best eye for the expensive after growing up with it.

Two days huh? She could wait that long.

——-Two Days Later ——-

Okay, so waiting is not my forte, she thought as Comet sprinted through the streets. The first day was fine as she went to school and hung out with some friends as Charlie but during lectures she couldn’t help her mind straying to that night in the alleyway. What would Gaunt find in his checks? Would he find out who her parents were? What if he accused her of being some rich brat just looking for fun like Killian had when she first joined Altair? She spent weeks proving herself.

Those were the thoughts that ran through her mind whenever she wasn’t doing something. So she ran. She ran as Charlie and she ran as Black Comet through the streets of Jump in order to get her mind off all the questions. But sometimes it wasn’t just running, she also ‘jumped’ whenever a building or fence was just unavoidable. May have caused a few panic attacks but Comet was too deep in thought.

It’s not that she was worried… okay she was. No use lying to herself. Comet walked along a building ledge as the time drew near to sort of wait for a recharge on her powers. She felt like the time when the coach of the softball team was about to post who made it. Well, it felt like the time every coach from any sports team posted who made it… Charlie played a lot of sports in school.

It was near time for her meeting with Mr. Dark-and-Not-Handsome-In-The-Slightest. So she started down, a little carefully since she wasn’t quite sure how much her powers recharged. It just took a little more climbing than jumping and floating. She made it to the meeting a little early and started bouncing around. Neither Charlie or Comet could stand still for too long. “Deep breaths Comet, deep breaths.”

[Gaunt]

Gaunt shook his head as he walked away. Kids just had no education in the classics these days. Sure, Zork was a little before his time, but he at least knew about it. That one had sailed right over Comet's head. He'd have to give this kid a proper education in dated pop culture in-jokes. Younger vampires practically ran on the stuff.

Two days later

Charlie Rudolf. A bit odd, but she checked out. No indications she would snitch, solid record of lawbreaking and not getting caught. All in all, a good addition to the team. Gaunt set the dossier down and headed out. He was running a few minutes behind schedule, but not too bad. He had his shortcuts, after all. The vampire shot through the tunnels, using surges of strength to fling himself forward. Contrary to what Maggie had thought he didn't have super-speed, but he could throw himself pretty fast. It was the landings that were difficult.

Charlie had gone beyond pacing by the time he arrived. She was actually bouncing. It was kind of funny to watch, but he didn't have time for that. If she was getting that antsy, it was best to get things over with. Gaunt appeared in front of her in a puff of smoke. "Good news, Charlie." That was maybe the best part of being an information broker. You could pop up and call someone by name out of nowhere. It gave you a sense of omniscience that stuck with people. "You're cleared to be a Rat. I can show you to The Warren if you're ready."

[Deleted]

“GAH!” Comet screamed when Gaunt proofed out of nowhere, the sudden scare causing her to soar into the air. She floated around for a while looking like gravity had been turned off before dropping back down the earth when her heart steadied. “Stop doing that! Your gonna make me F.F.O. into space!” She took a deep breath though the rush of adrenaline still made her head a little giddy. It was then that she notice he had used her name, well her nickname that everyone in Jump City knew her by. That was a relatively good sign she supposed. Comet nearly made a face at the thought of Gaunt calling her by the name on her birth certificate.

She cheered at the good news, “Yes! Oh and when my goggles are on I'd like to be called Black Comet or Comet if you don't mind.” Charlie knew that if she wanted to steal things from people and live a normal life, with the possibility of becoming a rock star, she needed a mask and a cool name. It also hid her activities from her parents, they would probably lock her away if they found out what she did after school. Maybe even use it as a publicity stunt that involved her mom crying on camera while her dad talked about how he was going have a fundraiser for at risk youth or something. God that would be horrible...

The Warren? That sounded like... “Wait do you actually have a hideout?” Comet asked thinking back to when Killian showed her the basement where Altair apparently hung out. It was cozy but she wouldn't call it a hideout since people from the building did their laundry in the same room. “Dude yea I'm totally ready!” Comet started bouncing again but this time with excitement. “Glad you find me trustworthy!” She grinned.

[Gaunt]

Ah, that never got old. Being a Nosferatu had its ups and downs, but frightening people was definitely one of the ups. Charlie was especially fun, she flew when frightened. Gaunt waited with arms folded until she settled down, grinning broadly. "Couldn't help myself." he said with a shrug. Oh, she was mad now. Not serious mad, just prank-mad. He could deal with that.

Excited at the job, but still professional. This kid showed promise. "Got it, Black Comet. Some of our operatives have their own codenames, others are assigned, but we all use an alias while on the job." That went double for him. He'd hardly used his real name in years. As far as Gaunt knew, there were maybe five people who both knew his name and knew he was still alive. It was a pretty exclusive club, consisting of high-level Rats and his old team from LA.

Gaunt chuckled. "Course we got a hideout. Come on, I'll show you the way." He led her through the alleys towards the nearest tunnel entrance. "Glad you are trust-" He glanced over his shoulder to see that she was bouncing. "-worthy." Well, she was still a kid after all. It was just kind of odd to see. Maybe this change was good for him. Back in LA, Gaunt had been surrounded by dour immortals. Here, it was a bunch of superpowered kids. Sure, they made some boneheaded moves sometimes, but they were less depressing.

They rounded a corner and came upon the entrance to an old abandoned subway station. Gaunt pushed the gate open and reached into the ticket booth, pulling out an LED lantern. He could navigate the dark just fine, but humans often had more problems with that. "It's down here." He made his way down to the platform and hopped onto the tracks, heading down the tunnel.

[Deleted]

When Gaunt mentioned other operatives Comet could already feel a comfortable familiarity settle in. Back in Star City the only few places she had ever actually felt she belonged her group and with her guitar were two. After losing an important person in her life she fled from that familiar setting and group, she wanted to leave everything that held memories behind and start anew. So far it was working, she’d almost collected enough to buy an apartment. An unfurnished one, but it would be hers and no one else’s.

But unless she hit it big in the music business Charlie needed a job and being Black Comet was easy as well as very fun. Being a thief was something Comet felt was a part of her, just as much a part of her as her guitars were.

When Gaunt pushed open the subway gates Comet remembered a few times when she slipped away from some people by dropping into the underground. “Hey I’ve used these tunnels to escape before,” she said following him. She wasn’t a big fan of dark confined spaces but the light Gaunt had help, though it didn’t stop her from feeling lighter than the average human. “Real creepy but no one had the guts to chase me down here,” Comet’s eyes drifted around the old tunnels. “Something about monsters wandering in the darkness,” she looked over at Gaunt none too subtly. It was one thing she was bad at, that and sitting still for long amounts of time.

[Gaunt]

"I know." Gaunt had seen some of her daring escapes on the surveillance cameras, it was part of the reason he'd decided to approach her. She was a resourceful kid, with some useful powers. He dropped the revelation casually, not elaborating on it. It was part of the head games he played to give a sense of omniscience. That sort of thing was important for an information broker.

Ah, playing the monster card. Charlie may have been subtle as a thief, but she didn't have the same subtlety in social situations. "I guess word has gotten out." Maybe the incident with Maggie had something to do with it. He'd been trying to get the usual small-timers to stay off his lawn, apparently it was starting to work. He didn't really mind the implications of the monster comment. Mr. Gaunt knew what he was, and he'd come to terms with it years ago.

Finally, they came to a rusted maintenance door. Gaunt opened an access panel and punched in some numbers on a keypad. There was a metallic noise from the other side, and he opened the door. Inside was a windowless conference room. The Nosferatu stepped in, gesturing for Charlie to follow. "This is the public section of the Warren. Here's where we entertain guests and all that crap. And this," He opened another hidden keypad on the wall and punched in a code. A panel opened, revealing a staircase downward. "Is how we get to the Warren proper."

[Deleted]

He knew? Huh, so her amazing little slips out of the dangerous grips of unhappy marks were legends now? Sweet! Maybe she should make up a catch phrase or something. What would be a good phrase for a flying thief? ‘Beware the skies when Black Comet is on the rise’… Oh that was good, but it sounded a little too tough for her. It sounded like she was a ruff n tuff, beat ‘em up person. She wasn’t but it still sounded really cool.

Comet grinned, “Oh yea. I’m pretty well informed on things in the streets. I’ve got many friends in many places who tell me many things.” She thought back to the laughs and get togethers with some kids from the streets, hanging out and them telling her stories about the things happening in Jump City. Like how there was some serpent monster in the underground tunnels at one point. X’Hal if she had met that thing in the tunnels Comet wouldn’t know what to do. She certainly wouldn’t have her feet on the ground.

“Oh fancy,” Comet said when Gaunt opened the keypad security door. “So do I get that code too?” She asked after following him into the conference room. “Wait we entertain guests? How does that wor–Ooooo,” Comet’s eyes seemed to glitter under her goggle/mask. Secrets and doors and staircases, oh my! This decision to join was looking better and better, she couldn’t wait to get a good look at where she would hang out with new… colleagues.