Dang Convergence Vol. 1

Chapter Four The Gala

Chapter Four

The Gala

He didn't hate his job. Sometimes it brought him some greatly desired excitement, like when one of the people he was assigned to protect had an assassination attempt against them or when their convoy was hijacked by superhumans hopped on super-steroids–both of these had happened just last month. Work was particularly exciting on those days.

But on most other days, it was drab and confining, more so about up appearances to satisfy formalities. Sure, he could have done his job just fine wearing sweats and old T-shirts, in fact, this would probably have given him an advantage in encounters because no one thinks they're going to be taken out by someone sporting bum fashions. But alas, very few clients felt that way, always demanding their "help" to wear suits and tuxes.

Luckily, he wouldn't be spending his own money on the tux. The client had had one sent over two days ago. It was a fancy one that had been made out of some material that could shrink or enlarge to fit the wearer so that it was comfortable at all times. In addition, it was also impenetrable to bullets and could absorb a great deal of concussive force. Considering that he could manage all of this just fine on his own, these perks didn't really benefit him.

He took a quick shower, carelessly spritzed on some deodorant, and then changed into the tux before spraying some cologne. He oiled his dark hair, combed it backward, and then concentrated hard on it for a while. He waited until all the strands of brown had turned a silvery-gray. He then retrieved his sunglasses from his ridiculously cluttered drawer. To most, the glasses might have seemed like a fashion piece, but it was a utility, one that helped him scan the objects and people around him allowing the ability to pull up all necessary data on them. Not to mention, with his different-colored hair and the glasses, it would be hard for anyone to realize his identity was while he was at work.

The glasses helped him come up with conversation starters and with identifying individuals who would make a move on his clients.

He slipped on his necklace, bracelet, and ring. Based on his type of jobs, wearing jewelry would be unnecessary. However, the way he carried out his work, they were needed. In fact, none of his choice of accessories were regular, not even his belt with the buckle shaped after the letter D. Most who knew him would see the buckle and think it was related to his name, but that wasn't the case at all. The belt was rather useful—especially when he found himself in a bind.

Just when he was about to step out of his cozy little mountain home, he received an instant message from a classmate - Simon.

The message read: Hey, man. Did you make it out alright? See the thing with the thieves? Anyways, just checking to be sure you're good. I and a couple others are heading out for drinks tonight. You coming?

Dang sighed and voiced out a reply, letting his computer convert it to text for him. "Sorry, can't...working a late shift at the bakery today. Maybe some other time?"

Once the message had been sent, he headed out. He wondered how long it would be until the people who knew him personally pieced together that he didn't really work at a bakery. If such a time came, he'd need to figure out a new cover for his evening, night and midnight jobs.

He met up with his client just on time, arriving outside the client's mansion in Beverly Hills. From the briefing, he knew it was a twelve-bedroom mansion with eight bathrooms, three kitchens and three living rooms. It was massive, with Greek-style columns supporting the structure. There was a fountain in the front with a statue of his client, two large pools out back and another pool up on a balcony on the second floor.

He surveyed the mansion while he waited for the client to let him in. If he remembered correctly, his client was a Mr. Jonathan Cage; a fancy tech mogul who earned about forty million dollars each year. He also happened to be a major donor to Star Harbor, and had a scholarship named after him.