N.T. Herrgott - Gentlemans Club

ACT ONE

JUST ANOTHER

ORIGIN STORY

Friday, October 6

Okay, so there were two ways I could spend a Friday night. Sure, I could be playing beer pong at whatever party-of-the-week. Or, and hear me out, I could be working the night job Id started in the summer.

By job, I mean a part-time gig as a crime-fighter-in-training.

So instead of tequila shots, I was about to drop down to a window sill eight feet below the roof I was hanging off. And because the element of surprise is important or whatever, I had to do it without making a sound.

Whose idea was it to drop from the roof instead of climbing up? I asked, catching myself on the window ledge below. The ninja mask I wore had a mic that directed an encrypted signal to a receiver two blocks away. On the other end, Tom Seong sat in his car with a coffee and barked at me for not being perfect at everything.

I wouldnt have put you up to it if you couldnt do it, he said. Hed been a family friend for as long as I could remember, but these days he was a trainer, coach, employer, and surrogate uncle. Get moving, the apartment youre after is two windows over

I know, Im just getting my balance.

Wouldnt need to, he said, if you kept your focus.

A mugging just off Central turned into a home invasion on the third floor. Two guys with a knife and a baseball bat jumped a man and woman as they were opening the door to this very building. Tom had seen them file inside and scouted the target apartment from looking in the windows before I even got there.

All I had to do was kick some ass.

Wondering I asked, is there a big difference between burgling and home invasion?

Tom sighed. Keep your focus on the climb, kid.

I am focused I heaved myself from one window to the next.

Your weight was off on that jump, he said. Should book a few more hours at the climbing wall.

Its fine, I just

Wasnt focusing, he said. I agree.

Getting ready for the next jump, I took a breath. You can just say neener-neener like a normal person.

He ignored me. I just tipped off the cops. Theyre gonna be on their way soon, so pick up the pace.

That was something I didnt usually hear. For a lot of reasons a lot a lot Tom just didnt like cops. We avoided calling them whenever we could. When it came to small, petty stuff, Tom just had me break it up and let the bad guys run off and make sure the victims were safe. He wouldnt hesitate to call an ambulance, though.

But this was a situation where somebody needed to get arrested, and I didnt have a Vigil License so I couldnt do that (yet). It was the difference between a career Vigil and some teenager with discount combat gear.

I want you in and out before the cops get here, he said. Get a look at the apartment. Walk me through what you see. While Tom coached me, he was also piloting a stealth drone with a creeper-cam. It was probably silently hovering above my head so he could make sure I was spotting the right things.

Adjusting my grip on the windowsill, I peered into the room and sized up the mugger cramming valuables into a backpack. He looked like he lived off of protein shakes. Not a small guy

The one with the victims is bigger.

Oof

What do you notice about the apartment? Tom asked.

I strained to get a better look while the bad guy went through a vinyl collection.

One bedroom. I said.

Affirmative.

Two people live here?

Residents arent relevant, he said. Your concern is that theyve got hostages.

And theyre in the next room, I said.

Affirmative, he said. Tell me about him, though. Any concealed weapons?

This was the part of professional crime-fighting that I wasnt good at. I sized him up, trying to find what I was supposed to be looking at. Um

Watch when he bends over, he said.

Bam. Outline of a gun. Okay I see a pistol. Probably small caliber, I said. Give him a codename Trigger-Happy?

Works for me, said Tom. Alright, make the jump to the bedroom window.

Wait, shouldnt I clear this room? I asked. You always say to take down the weaker ones first.

With hostages in the mix, theyre the priority.

I can take Trigger-Happy down quietly

And then what? he asked. Theres no way to control a fight with two hostages and a hostile on the other side of a closed door. Get things done quietly and quickly and you can still get the drop on him.

I groaned and made the jump to the next window.

Whats your take on this room?

I dunno looks like an Ikea showroom

Kid, he said, do not make me drive over there.

Alright, alright! Hold on I cleared my throat and repositioned myself.

This mugger had an aluminum baseball bat over his shoulder. Keeping an eye on the woman, he was facing away from the window. She slumped down against a door, probably a closet, going out of her way not to look at Bat-Man.

Okay, Bat-Man is big, you called that, I said. I see the woman, but not her friend.

Mmhm?

Might be unconscious on the floor, I said. Can you spot him?

Negative, said Tom.

He could be in the closet? If thats a closet shes against.

Not likely, said Tom. Hostages rarely get split up. But these guys are raiding a well-lit apartment building at 9:30 PM. Nobody said theyre smart. Male hostage isnt a priority. Size up Bat-Man.

Cant be more than 65. Depending on how much bulk hes wearing he could be weighing in at two-fifty?

Okay, good call.

Looks like a leftie.

Bad for you. Your southpaw needs work.

You say everything needs work! My southpaw was actually great. There was a big, tough left-handed line-backer at school whod given me problems ever since I broke his nose in freshman. It was self-defense, I promise. Promise. And the cops are?

On the way. You have an entry?

The window wasnt locked but it was old. It wasnt gonna go up easy. Jammed Could jimmy it open but thatd scrap the low-profile approach.

Absolutely not, said Tom. If you cant get a jump on that guy, youre leaving this for the law.

I heard the crashing in the living room. You know theres a gourmet donut place opened up on Fredrick Street I said. Cops could be there all night.

If anything was gonna get a chuckle out of Tom, it was gonna be a cops and donuts joke. I kinda made it a side-mission to get him to break his mean-serious super-hero sensei persona. But he was back in teacher-mode in no time. Then well just have to

I stopped listening because I made eye contact with the woman. Surprised, but not confused, she scanned Bat-Man then looked back at me and nodded.

This was the part I was good at.

Friday, October 6

Bat-Man turned to the window to see what had caught the womans attention. Ducking down, my shin guards scraped the wall. Careful with that Tom said. I could feel big, thumping footsteps getting closer. He was wearing boots? Hello, rude? I saw her rugs. Shoes off at the door, thank you .

Jokes aside, I was screwed unless I could get myself over to another window. By this point, I was hoping there was a way I could just pull a win out of my ass

But then something smashed in the bedroom, and then the wall shook. I looked up and the lady had whacked him square over the head with a lamp. He dropped his bat and pushed her onto the bed. Made enough of a racket for me to slip in without being noticed.

Trigger-Happy called from the next room. Yall good, Ronnie?

Yeah, shes just getting feisty

I cleared my throat behind him.