genre: paranormal, lgbtq+ themes and tropes: found family, grey morality, acquaintances to friends to lovers, falling in love with the mark, underground organizations, murder and chaos, chaos and murder, good versus evil versus neutral warnings: swearing, mentions of mental trauma, violence and gore, death, mature themes pov: third person ( limited ), present tense status: drafting
Welcome to CODENAME PHANTOM, an exclusive club of misfits and outcasts who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Founded on the proverbial heels of freedom, through the tenacious efforts of survival and a little thing called natural selection, it’s comprised of six individuals with more issues than a magazine stand―who accept all manner of requests, from forgery to assassination, each member playing to their strengths with a near perfect success rate that is as unnerving as it is incredible. In fact, they’re the ones you turn to as a last resort, when you’ve already exhausted every possible avenue. Why? Because no one wants to draw the attention of these dangerous beings. Chaos is their modus operandi, after all.
INTRODUCING:
Huxley Payne, a twenty-nine-year-old daemon with more blood on his hands than an underground surgeon. He’s essentially the head of CODENAME PHANTOM and the one the other five look to for leadership and protection should the need arise. He might not have been trapped in the Hellbound with the others, but he’s certainly earned their loyalty a thousand times over since their escape. So naturally, when he talks, they listen. Even if they don’t always like what he says.
Dashiell Vaughan, a twenty-two-year-old human with the bad luck to find himself in the crosshairs of Huxley. As the son of a former scientist of Project Stratox―a privately owned enterprise affiliated with the government, tasked with creating weaponry to combat the violence and cruelty so inherent in humanity―his existence is only considered significant as a way to get back at Reginald Vaughan for daring to abandon the Project in favor of anonymity. But, of course, Dash doesn’t know anything about his father’s former employment endeavors, at least not until he meets Huxley, an intimidating, imposing man sent to collect his father’s dues.
Vincent and Damian Blackbriar, twin umbras―supernatural entities known to stalk the shadows of humans, essentially called shadows themselves―with the ability to communicate telepathically with one another. Vincent is considered the spokesperson of the duo, and no, not simply because Damian refuses to speak or has nothing to say. Sadly, his vocal cords were damaged in the Hellbound; therefore, he can’t get any words out without tasting blood in the back of his throat. It’s that painful. So he relies on Vincent to speak for him. And why not? They’re practically one soul. ( Damian is skilled at forgery and hacking while Vincent is usually tasked with espionage. )
Xiamara Stone, a twenty-three-year-old necromancer who originally hailed from New Orleans. Once, she was promised the world, by someone she believed would be her salvation―until she found herself locked in a cage and made to dance to the tune of self-entitled humans who only saw her as a means to an end. Now that she’s free and a proud member of CODENAME PHANTOM, she tends to accept ‘cold-case’ requests, respectfully contacting the deceased in order to discover what they know about their own deaths, if only out of curiosity and perhaps an intense desire to solve them herself. It’s a pretty lucrative venture.
Killian Lynch, a twenty-eight-year-old dullahan with a fondness for cracking jokes, flirting with danger, and eating all-you-can-eat pancakes at the diner just down the road from their clubhouse. He rarely takes anything seriously, often adding levity to a situation that normally calls for somberness. But when he does get down to business―of the headless kind―he can be surprisingly, terrifyingly serious. It’s just another reminder of why revoking his CP membership is a bad, bad idea.
Michaela Park, a twenty-seven-year-old banshee with a scream that is as paralyzing as it is haunting. It’s a defense mechanism, only utilized when she may be in danger of losing her life; as such, it gives her the opportunity to escape while the others deal with the threat. But despite the fact that she is believed to be their weakest link―and a target in her own right―she is more than capable of holding her own. After all, she managed to survive in the Hellbound even while so many other victims dropped like flies around her. So she’s never once thought of herself as a pawn or a tool or even as an underdog. Not at all. She simply chooses to assist CODENAME PHANTOM in other, magnanimous ways, such as acting as the lone healer when her fellow members get hurt, sometimes by falling victim to their own foolishness.
