Frostburn (Ultrahumans Book 4)

by Niall Teasdale

  There was no sign of anyone, aside from Heather, frozen into a form-fitting shell of ice glaze. ‘Shit.’ Twilight let the shadows collapse and drew her sword from her back. ‘Denny, we need paramedics here. Fast.’

  ‘I am summoning help, but the fires are drawing a lot of emergency personnel,’ Denny said.

  ‘Right…’

  ‘Get her out,’ Andrea said. ‘He may have left her to suffocate like Mole. Get her out now!’

  ‘Right!’ Using the hilt of her sword, Twilight began cracking the ice. It was hard, incredibly hard, and it seemed to take forever to shatter the shell. And then Heather was collapsing onto the carpet and pulling in a long breath before letting out a scream and curling into a ball. ‘Heather? Heather! What’s wrong? What’s–’

  ‘He did that ice in the joints thing to her,’ Andrea said. ‘I don’t… I can’t think of anything to do. Keep her warm, maybe?’

  Twilight reached out and grabbed Heather, pulling her in close. ‘She’s cold.’

  ‘You would be too if you’d just been– Well, no, you wouldn’t, but… Just try to keep her warm.’

  ‘Denny,’ Twilight said aloud, ‘when are those paramedics coming?’

  ‘I am sorry, Twilight. ETA unknown at this time. Jacob is expecting to arrive in less than ten minutes.’

  ‘Okay, cancel the paramedics. Tell Jacob I’ll meet him outside. We’ll take her straight to the hospital.’

  ‘Of course, Twilight.’

  Nodding, Twilight pulled Heather in closer while the ex-agent alternately moaned, screamed, and shivered in pain.

  ~~~

  ‘She’s unconscious,’ the doctor said as Twilight and Jacob looked on, ‘but she’s stable and there seems to be no long-term damage. We’ll need to wait for her to regain consciousness before we can check for any neurological damage… but I’m currently quite hopeful. I believe you got her free of the ice before there was too much damage.’

  ‘Thank you, Doctor,’ Twilight said. The man nodded and turned away, and Twilight turned around to see Jacob breathing a sigh of relief. ‘She’ll be okay. She’s a tough woman.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Jacob agreed. ‘Tough and lucky. She’s lucky she could contact Denny, and lucky to have you able to jump straight to her apartment.’

  ‘If I’d been luckier, I could’ve caught the bastard who did it. He must’ve frozen her and then left her to die. I must’ve missed him by seconds.’

  ‘Don’t kick yourself over it. He didn’t kill Heather. Maybe she can identify him when she comes to.’

  Twilight nodded. ‘Maybe she can. And maybe he knows that.’

  ‘That thought had crossed my mind. I’ll stay here. If he comes for–’

  ‘We will stay here. I want to be here when she wakes up anyway.’

  ‘Fair enough. And then we take this guy down.’

  ‘Oh…’ Twilight looked through the glass at the sleeping form of Heather Bryant. ‘That’s a promise.’

  San Francisco, CA.

  Watching Diamond’s house was not the most exciting of tasks, but Mink watched. Back at her base, she had a facial-recognition system running to identify individuals coming and going, and that had collected fourteen mugshots. That was useful, but she had decided to get out and see the place up close tonight.

  Another system was running the captured images against police and FBI databases. One of them was easy: Simon Taverner, Beatdown. The system had confirmed his identity against California prison records.

  Most of the others had been filled in fairly quickly, though the system had had to go far further afield. Diamond had collected her cohorts from all over the south-eastern side of the country, it seemed. Virginia, North and South Carolina, a couple from Georgia, the rest from Mississippi and Louisiana.

  Three names remained resolutely unavailable, though one of those was undoubtedly Diamond. Her and her two lieutenants, the big man and his wiry compatriot, did not appear to have criminal records. Or if they had ever been arrested, someone had made the records vanish.

  A light went on in the house and Mink lifted her eyes to look. The shape was feminine: the mysterious Diamond, who seemed to be as good as Mink at hiding her real identity. ‘Enigmatic lady,’ Mink said to the distant shape just as the drapes on the window were pulled. ‘I tip my hat to you. Or I would if I had one.’

  Then the front door of the house opened and Beatdown rushed out, barely pausing to close up behind him. He headed straight for a car.

  ‘And where are you going in such a hurry?’ Mink asked of no one. There was only one way to find out. Following him was not going to be too easy, but she could cut corners he could not and he would likely stick to the speed limits. Jumping up, Mink set off in the direction she figured Beatdown was going to head in.

  ~~~

  Judy Taverner had always liked being Lament. She identified more with her Ultrahuman identity than her birth one. Lament was Judy’s ideal of what an Ultra should be: smooth, cool under pressure, and just a little aloof. Judy had always been just a little awkward, great in the school debating society with a podium and a topic, but never quite the social butterfly she had wanted to be. Lament knew her way around high society, always knew what to say, and had the confidence to back it up. Lament was who Judy wanted to be. And the one thing that always dragged Lament back to being Judy was her brother, Simon.

  Simon had made something of a mission out of putting his sister down, even before he had developed powers. At twelve, Judy had had her hair cut short because she was tired of Simon pulling it. She had grown it back a few years later because she felt long hair suited Lament, but she still remembered the horror of seeing her long hair falling to the floor and knowing that it was Simon’s fault. Simon’s teasing had been responsible for much of Judy’s teenage insecurity. When he had got himself locked up for two years when she was sixteen, it had been the best thing to ever happen to her. Then he had come out, started right where he had left off, and they had been fighting their little war ever since.

  One of Judy’s favourite memories was seeing Bonehead punch Simon in the face after her brother had described Lament as a ‘stuck-up, useless, harpy princess with a voice like a foghorn.’ Judy smiled at the thought as she opened her apartment door. Then her face straightened.

  Simon had never tried to kill her before. There had been more than a few bruises, but the Fox had been pretty sure that Beatdown had been aiming to put an end to their sibling conflict in a permanent way. Something had changed. Someone had given Simon a push, presumably this woman they were calling Diamond. Beatdown had seemed to be happy with staying out of San Francisco, and Judy had been happy to ignore him unless he did something stupid. Now he was out to kill her and the other Stars had insisted that she stay on Alcatraz Island until the problem was resolved. That was just… ignominious!

  And now that she was actually walking into her apartment, having snuck out of HQ to avoid being asked what she was up to, even if she had what she admitted was a lame excuse, Lament was feeling more like Judy: just a little insecure and stupid. It was a petty act of rebellion which should have been beneath her. Well, it was done now, and no one knew she was here so she was safe enough. Simon thought she was on the Rock. Still, she pulled all the drapes before flicking on the lights. She would have a glass of wine, just one, and watch a little TV. That would be enough to make her feel justified before she scurried back to base with the book she planned to use as her excuse.

  With the TV turned on to a random entertainment channel, Lament poured herself a flute of white wine, admiring the delicate twist of the glass’s stem and the intricate weave of drawn glass, resembling vines, which wrapped the bowl. She took a sip, smiled, and started for the sofa.

  With an enormous crash, the door of her apartment buckled inward. Lament froze, staring at the door as though it had just come to life. Another crashing blow hit the door and she flinched, but her mind refused to grasp what was happening. The glass slipped from her fingers as whatever enormous hand was t
rying to break through knocked again, and this time the lock gave way under the onslaught and the door slammed open, tearing free of its hinges to tumble into the room.

  ‘Simon,’ Lament whispered as she saw the man standing in the doorway.

  ‘Damn right, sister dearest!’ Beatdown spat out the last syllable and Lament let out a shriek as a pulse of sound punched a hole in her left bicep.

  ‘Simon, stop! Why are you doing this?’

  Beatdown advanced into the room, closing the gap between them. ‘Because I’m sick and tired of you lording your righteous, do-gooder attitude over me. I’m sick of your bully boys beating on me because you’re too weak to stand up to me yourself. I’m sick of being chased out of my home town because you’re embarrassed by your own brother. I found a woman who believes in me, and I’m getting rid of the one who doesn’t. Ka!’

  Pain lanced through Lament’s right thigh. She stumbled back a pace, but her leg held and her head cleared enough to let her realise how much trouble she was in. She could feel blood trickling down her arm and figured she would soon feel it soaking her jeans. She was badly hurt, again, and Simon was not going to stop. She saw him drawing breath for another shout and moved, jerking toward the bedroom off to her left even though it made her leg squeal in pain. There was no hit, but nausea rose up from the pit of her stomach and her vision clouded. She slipped to her knees, willing herself not to black out. Simon would kill her for sure if she…

  ~~~

  Beatdown looked down at the supine form of his sister and smiled. This would be easy. Just like shooting fish in a barrel. Or like shouting at your sister on a carpet. He drew in a breath, and paused. Could he really do it? Could he really kill Judy?

  They had grown up together, more or less. He was eighteen months older, but he could not really remember a time when his little sister had not been there. Their parents had doted on her as a child and he had hated her for that, but his rivalry with Judy had always been… a kind of love. He thought she was stuck-up, needed taking down a peg, and maybe he had taken it a little too far at times, but…

  But there was that one other thing: Diamond would string him up and carve him open slowly if he failed. Maybe she would do that anyway.

  ‘Fuck it. Sorry, sis.’ Beatdown drew in another breath and let the power rise in him.

  Something silver flashed before Beatdown’s eyes, and then a thin cord was wrapping tightly around his neck, cutting off his breathing. He turned, trying to free himself, and he saw Mink standing behind him, bracing her rope dart to keep it taut around his neck. He pulled, trying to yank the cord from her hands, and a tug of war ensued with Mink trying to keep the line tight and Beatdown working to free himself before his lungs gave out. Mink’s foot caught on the sofa and she lost her grip, but the noose was still wrapped tightly around Beatdown’s neck.

  ‘Shit!’ Mink exclaimed as Beatdown reached for the cord to unwrap it. She twisted, closed the gap, and drove her heel into the meat of his thigh, following through with a blow to the throat. Beatdown managed a wheezing cough, his eyes widening as his voice box was paralysed and his hands fumbled the cord. Mink spun again, the base of her fist smashing into Beatdown’s jaw, and he went down like a sack of bricks, right next to his sister.

  Kneeling, Mink checked Lament’s pulse. ‘Okay…’ She tapped on her radio and spoke. ‘Mink to Stars HQ. Backroom, are you there? Over.’

  There was a short pause before Elaine’s voice came back. ‘Mink? I’m here. We’ve got a bit of a problem here, I–’

  ‘Let me guess, Lament is missing? Over.’ Reaching down, Mink began removing her rope dart’s cord from around Beatdown’s neck.

  ‘And you found her,’ Elaine said, her tone resigned. ‘Where? Over.’

  ‘Her apartment. I’ve got her brother here too. They’re both alive, but we need paramedics. Beatdown got a couple of his sound pulses into her before I could stop him. Over.’

  ‘Ultramech is on his way to your location now. We guessed she might go there. Stupid… Never mind. I’ll have police and paramedics there in a few minutes. Over.’

  Mink heard something heavy landing on the balcony outside the window. ‘Ultramech’s here. I’ll let him in and he can handle the rest of this.’ She wrapped her rope dart around her hips as she walked over to the window. ‘Lament’ll be pissed that I rescued her anyway. Over.’

  ‘Probably. Thanks anyway. Backroom out.’

  Pulling the drapes and then the window aside, Mink nodded at the silver man standing outside. ‘Hi, big guy. You heard all that?’

  ‘I did, Mink. Your assistance is greatly appreciated, as always.’

  ‘Huh, probably not by its recipient, but thanks. I’m going to leave you to handle the clean-up, if that’s okay with you.’

  Ultramech stepped through into the room and tilted his head a little to one side. ‘One day, Mink, you will have to allow the city to give you the recognition you deserve.’

  Mink smiled at him. ‘Maybe, but not tonight.’ She stepped out onto the balcony and prepared her rope dart again. ‘Make sure Detective Inman is informed of Beatdown’s arrest.’ And then she was gone.

  ‘I will be sure to do that,’ Ultramech said to the empty balcony. Then he turned to his captive and his colleague.

  28th December.

  ‘I’m not happy about you going in there, Detective,’ Mink said.

  ‘Happy or not, in I am going,’ Damian said. He was checking his pistol. ‘I suggested we do this. I’ve got the police authority and your evidence as probable cause.’

  ‘And we have the firepower,’ Fuego added. ‘It is also our leader this woman has chosen to attack.’ The only Stars missing were Lament and Ultramech, the latter being on guard at the hospital.

  ‘We want them alive,’ Damian said.

  Fuego frowned. ‘I had not considered any other course of action, Detective Inman.’

  ‘Boys,’ Mink said. ‘We’re on the same side. Don’t start. We go in hard. Bony, take the door down. Muse, you do your stuff once we’re inside. Anyone who isn’t acting like they’re on LSD, the rest of us take them down. Any questions?’

  ‘I need to go in behind Bonehead,’ Damian said. ‘Make the announcement.’

  ‘Stay right behind him. He’s bulletproof, and you aren’t.’

  ‘I… can live with that. I am wearing a vest.’

  ‘My entire skin is a vest, Detective,’ Bonehead stated flatly. ‘I’ll keep you safe so you can arrest everyone. When do we do this?’

  ‘No time like the present.’

  ‘Agreed,’ Mink said. ‘Okay, Bony, move out with the detective. Everyone else get ready. Make it quick and clean, Bony.’

  Bonehead gave a nod and opened the rear doors of the van they were setting up in. They were a hundred yards from the house Diamond was using as a base of operations, and Bonehead did not run toward it, but his long legs carried him quickly down the street and up the steps to the front porch. Then he accelerated, lowering his shoulder. He ploughed through the front door of the house as though it was not there, Damian hurrying in after him.

  ‘SFPD!’ Damian yelled. ‘Do not resist arrest, or…’ He trailed off as the realisation set in that the house was very quiet. Dali’s Muse, the strange, almost elfin psychic, swept in behind him, hovering just above the ground and ready to unleash her mind-twisting powers on the building, and Damian raised a hand. ‘Wait. I’m not sure there’s anyone else here.’

  Mink’s heels sounded on the boards outside. She frowned as she stepped through into the hallway. ‘It is very quiet. All right, Bony and Fuego, sweep upstairs. Muse and Fox, take this floor. Detective, you come with me. These places always have basements.’

  ‘Couldn’t wait to get me alone?’ Damian asked as he followed Mink down a flight of brick steps into the basement.

  ‘Hmm… One rule I forgot to mention. I’m Mink. You only know me professionally. No matter where we are. Two rules, sorry. You don’t know who Mink is unless we’re somewhere we absolutely
know is secure.’

  ‘That’s… logical.’ They went down into a brick-walled corridor under the house with various doors off it. The light was too dim to see properly and Damian’s senses cut over to their ‘dark vision’ mode. He could sense nothing that could be considered a threat. ‘Are there lights down here?’

  Something, a dim, blue-shaded glow, registered on his vision, but did not really seem to illuminate anything. ‘You don’t need it, and I have a UV light. And I think we’re alone down here.’ Mink opened a door beside them and her torch created art on the walls which Dali’s Muse would undoubtedly have found fascinating. ‘Someone died in this room.’

  ‘Messily, yeah.’

  ‘Diamond’s work.’ Mink turned from the room and scanned her torch down the corridor. ‘Oh…’

  Damian sensed it more or less as Mink saw it. ‘Is that a tunnel? I can feel a void down at the end.’

  ‘It looks like they dug an escape tunnel out from here to… probably next door. We need to check on the neighbours.’

  ‘Yeah…’ Damian frowned. ‘There’s something else…’

  ‘This is the Fox. There’s no one on the ground floor. Over.’ Damian ignored the words in his ear, trying to identify whatever was wrong with his environment.

  ‘Fuego here. Upper floor seems to be clear too. Over.’

  There was a scent, a smell. What was it?

  ‘They cut a tunnel out of the basement,’ Mink said. ‘They’re gone. We go through the place and–’

  ‘Shit! Fertiliser!’ Damian snapped. ‘I can smell fertiliser.’

  ‘Damn.’ Mink grabbed Damian’s arm and started pulling him toward the stairs. ‘Everyone, they’ve rigged the place to explode.’

  Damian did not really need the encouragement. ‘We can call the bomb squad in once we’re outside.’

  ‘We’ll be fucking lucky if she hasn’t got it on a command detonator.’