Hunting Mink

by Niall Teasdale

  ‘You have funny eyes,’ the boy said. There was no fear in his voice, just the kind of curiosity small children had for the strange.

  Andrea gave him a smile. ‘I have weird eyes.’

  ‘What can you see through them?’

  ‘Oh… everything.’

  ‘When I grow up, can I have eyes like yours?’

  ‘Believe me, kid, you don’t want them.’ She got to her feet and lifted the boy off the gurney they had available to work on. ‘Now, you go with your mom and stay safe. I don’t want to have to bandage any more of your appendages.’

  ‘Okay.’ And, amid more thank-yous from the mother, they left.

  ‘Cute kid,’ June said, handing over bundles of cloth.

  ‘Yeah, I guess. I’m not big on children.’ She looked around and saw no one immediately waiting to be seen. ‘I’m grabbing a coffee before the rush starts again.’

  ‘I guess I could use one.’ June followed Andrea to a small area set aside at the back of the tents where someone had managed to get an extension lead run out and a kettle set up. The coffee was instant, but it was coffee. ‘This is pretty bad, isn’t it?’

  ‘This is… not fun. You never saw the mess I left in Schatten Schloss after my dark side got out.’

  ‘Why am I thinking I’m glad about that?’

  ‘Because you’re intelligent. No kids there though. I’m not competent to handle the severe cases here, for which I am not really sorry, but I’ve seen a few people coming through who might not make it.’ Andrea poured boiling water onto granules, and then noticed a tired-looking man in a white coat appearing beside them and added a third mug before he could ask.

  ‘You’re an angel,’ he said before looking at her. His eyes widened. ‘An angel with black eyes. You’re Twilight.’

  ‘Not tonight, though you can call me that. Makes it easier.’

  ‘I saw you working on a couple of people. Didn’t realise it was you. You do good work.’

  Andrea grinned. ‘I do basic work fine. Thanks. When you occasionally use a sword on people, it’s advisable to learn some first aid.’

  ‘I feel safer suddenly. If the riots do get down here, at least we’ve got you.’

  ‘If the riots did get down here, I guess I could defend myself and those in immediate danger. My registration–’

  ‘I heard. What moron thought up that idea? Hell, if it wasn’t for that, we could probably have the UoU in here to help!’

  It was a valid point. ‘Yeah, sorry about that.’

  ‘Oh no. Nothing for you to apologise about. You’re down here helping. You brought June there and she’s doing what she can. You seen any UID here?’

  Andrea frowned and glanced at June, who shrugged. ‘No, I haven’t. They were deployed for the gang violence in July…’

  ‘Won’t poke their noses in where they know they’ve caused the mess,’ the doctor said.

  ‘Or they’ve been ordered not to.’

  24th August.

  Cygnus emerged from a hardware store blinking water out of her eyes. She was soaked through and there was water running out of her hair in rivulets. Her shirt, which was starting to look the worse for wear anyway, was glued to her, but at least she had decided that the shorts were a good idea. Plus, the store was no longer on fire.

  On the other hand, she did seem to be getting a lot of attention from the firemen who had spent the last fifteen minutes hosing her down on the basis that the shop needed to be cooled. ACPN had a cameraman there as well: he was grinning as though he had just got something he could win a Pulitzer with.

  Svetilo rushed over with a blanket and wrapped it around Cygnus’s shoulders. ‘Bottle fed, all of them,’ the Russian said.

  ‘Oh, I don’t mind really…’

  ‘Mind you, you do look fantastic with that camisole glued to your–’

  ‘Thanks for the blanket, Dom.’

  Dom smirked at her. ‘My pleasure, Cygnus.’ Her face straightened and Cygnus followed her eyes to see a large, black car driving up.

  ‘Oh, well this looks like great fun,’ Cygnus said. ‘UID?’ Two men got out of the car, both in suits.

  ‘Looks like it. Though they look more like Soviet police the way they act.’

  Cygnus started toward the car. ‘Well, let’s see what they want.’

  ‘Special Agents Brent and Caldwell,’ one of the two said in a clipped tone as soon as Cygnus was within range. He flashed identification and was tucking it away before anyone normal could tell it had been there, and he made sure Cygnus could see his pistol in its shoulder holster while he was doing it. ‘You are the Ultra known as Cygnus, Maryland registration number fifty-five?’

  Cygnus stared at the man, Brent she presumed. He had a sort of rugged attractiveness, with a hint of stubble forming along his jawline, cropped blonde hair, and blue eyes, but his eyes had a distinct hint of ice in them. His companion, Caldwell, was darker in colouration, warmer, and looking a little uncomfortable.

  ‘You know she is,’ Svetilo said. ‘What is this about?’

  Brent ignored her. ‘You’re aware, Cygnus, that your registration is currently under suspension?’

  ‘Yes,’ Cygnus said, ‘I am.’

  ‘Then I am arresting you under section seven of the Special Policing Act nineteen ninety-three.’

  ‘Section seven?’ Svetilo asked.

  Cygnus raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s the unregistered performance of law enforcement activities, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, it is. They made me learn entire thing for citizenship.’

  ‘Fighting fires falls under law enforcement now?’

  Caldwell was looking around and had noticed that the ACPN crew and the firemen were all closing in around the two Ultras and the agents. He was looking even more uncomfortable. ‘Alan, we can’t–’

  ‘You’re using your powers,’ Brent snapped. ‘We are required to take you into custody to determine the extent of your activities.’

  ‘I’m volunteering, as a private individual, to assist the New Millennium City Fire Department in this crisis, Special Agent. If that’s illegal, I apparently didn’t get the memo. You are not required to detain me, but you apparently want to. Now, I could volunteer to go with you, but I think saving Churchton is more important so I’m going to have to decline. If you wish to press on with an arrest, I’ll have the Union legal team meet us at your office. Or you can be reasonable and put through a request for an interview.’

  Brent’s eyes flicked to the light from the TV camera. His jaw worked.

  Caldwell got in before he could formulate an answer. ‘There doesn’t appear to be any infraction of the rules going on here. We’ll be reviewing the evidence and may require you to come for formal interview in the future.’ Brent turned, anger on his face, and Caldwell lowered his voice. ‘Don’t be a moron, Alan. You’re about to make a fool of yourself, and the agency, on national TV.’

  Not saying another word, Brent stalked off toward their car.

  ‘We’ll… be in touch,’ Caldwell said, and then he went off after his partner.

  ‘Some of them join UID for the chance to beat on Ultras, da?’ Svetilo said

  Cygnus shrugged. ‘Some Ultras register for the chance to legally beat on normals.’ She turned around and forced herself to smile. ‘Okay, guys, where’s the next place you’re going to use as an excuse to soak me to the skin?’

  There were actually cheers.

  ~~~

  There was light showing in the sky to the east when Andrea noticed Heather Bryant working on someone a couple of gurneys down the row. The brunette agent looked tired, and Andrea was not sure she had ever seen her in casual clothes before.

  Wrapping up the patient she was working on, Andrea walked down to where Heather was dealing with a woman with a minor head wound. ‘Heather?’

  Heather looked around quickly, flashed a smile which had too much worry in it, and turned back to her patient. ‘This is going to be fine. I’m going to tape you up and then we’ll ge
t you sent for some X-rays, just to be sure. Hi, Andrea. Just, uh, give me a minute…’

  ‘Okay,’ Andrea said once the patient was being taken away by another of the volunteers, ‘spill.’

  ‘What am I spilling?’ Heather sounded defensive: not a good sign.

  ‘You guys turned out for the Red Weekend, so how come you’re the only UID agent I’ve seen today?’

  ‘We were ordered to keep out of it. The order came from Washington. I’ve been watching the reports all night and I couldn’t… If they want to reprimand me for volunteering here, they can fucking well do it. No one justified it in my presence. It’s stupid.’

  ‘Okay… Jacob?’

  ‘He’s hurting, Andrea. He’s been acting… weird around the office since they made him talk to you. He’s called in sick the last three days. Said he had a cold. But he probably wouldn’t be here anyway. They ordered him to stay away from you. They’ve got a watch on him and he thinks they’re tapping his phone.’

  Andrea frowned. ‘Explains why he didn’t call, I guess. I’ll check up on him when I get the chance.’

  ‘They’re watching his house.’ Heather held up a finger and then squeezed the bridge of her nose. ‘I’m forgetting who I’m talking to. Either it’s because you’re not in costume or I need more coffee.’

  ‘We’ll get coffee as I’m not getting changed. Besides, what’s with you? I didn’t think you owned a T-shirt.’

  ‘I do actually have a life outside the agency, you know?’

  ‘Really? I thought they packed all you guys away in your boxes when you were off-duty.’

  ~~~

  Cygnus and Svetilo dropped to the ground just outside the tents of the triage centre. Cygnus noticed the kettle almost immediately and developed a slightly delirious grin, but June intercepted her halfway there, leaping into her arms while wrapping her own around Cygnus’s neck. Svetilo looked on with a raised eyebrow.

  ‘They finally got together on Cygnus’s birthday,’ Andrea supplied, walking up to the Russian.

  ‘They make a good couple,’ Svetilo said. ‘And I don’t think there’s no hope for me if I supply alcohol.’

  ‘Huh. Do I take it from you two being here that things are easing off out there?’

  ‘There is some easing of the fighting. Rioters have been pushed back to the far north of the town. It is not safe for the firemen to go where there are still fires, so we back off for now.’

  ‘We’ve been getting fewer casualties for the last forty minutes or so. Um, what time is it anyway?’

  ‘I have no idea. Maybe ten o’clock?’

  Andrea fished her phone out of a pocket and checked it. ‘Ten thirty-eight. They’ve been at it for over thirteen hours.’

  ‘Churchton is a mess,’ Svetilo said. ‘Shops and housing burned or trashed. Hundreds injured.’

  ‘More than a few dead…’

  ‘Much as I’m happy to see you too, love,’ Cygnus said at that point, ‘you’re stopping me getting to the coffee.’

  ‘Nope. I’m saving you from it,’ June replied.

  ‘June…’

  ‘Okay, but you’ve been warned. Anyway, I want to talk to all three of you.’ She looked over Cygnus’s shoulder at Svetilo and Andrea.

  ‘This sounds interesting,’ Svetilo said, ‘but we make the coffee first.’

  With coffee mugs in hand, the foursome gathered at the back of the triage centre and June set about explaining her plan. ‘Basically, Churchton is a wreck, right?’

  ‘Parts of it,’ Cygnus replied. ‘Between the looting and the vandalism, a lot of shops are more or less gone. There are burned apartment blocks all over. The north end is going to be a real mess before they get everything under control.’

  ‘Okay, so how about we get some money together to… regenerate the area.’

  Svetilo narrowed her eyes. ‘You are thinking of second calendar.’

  ‘I am thinking of a second calendar. It wasn’t entirely my idea. Andrea’s boss mentioned it and I thought it seemed like a good idea, but now… Well, I was thinking we could split it. We could do something counterpoising city and nature. Money for Ever’s projects and money for a Churchton redevelopment fund. And we see if we can get some different models in. New Ultras and new unknown normals. I mean, Red might do it and Skadi’s an attractive girl, and Twilight would have no excuse.’

  ‘I bet I could think of one,’ Andrea said quickly. ‘But… I guess…’

  ‘Right. So if Dom handles the talent…’

  ‘Never let it be said that I will not handle the talent,’ Svetilo put in, grinning.

  ‘…then I’ll do the admin. Maybe we could get Susan to take on the local stuff in Miami again.’

  ‘I’ll call her and see about availability. You’re thinking of shooting in the Everglades and here?’

  ‘That’s the plan. Twilight’s really more of an urban Ultra and we can’t ask Ever to leave her swamp.’

  You could tell the Russian model was getting enthusiastic about the idea: her eyes were shining a brighter blue. ‘I think you should go down to ask Ever about this. Earliest convenience. Next week, da?’

  ‘Fullerton will be kicking off that nanotechnology project next week,’ Cygnus said. ‘Ever will be busy. That said, she was just monitoring and Bianca could probably help you get in touch with her.’

  ‘Oh, getting in touch isn’t a problem,’ June said, ‘but I wouldn’t want to get in the way. I’ll call Bianca and see if we can arrange something. We’re doing this?’

  ‘I am willing,’ Svetilo said, grinning.

  ‘Yeah,’ Cygnus agreed. ‘Churchton’s going to need all the help it can get after today.’

  Everyone looked around at Andrea. The jet-eyed Ultra sighed. ‘Twilight will do it,’ she said.

  25th August.

  ‘The State of Maryland issued twenty-four hours’ notice to the UID today, indicating that they would be lifting the ban on Cygnus and Twilight, New Millennium City’s foremost Ultras, as of three p.m. tomorrow. Officials stated that–’

  Penny hit the mute button and said, ‘That they’ve discovered the place goes to Hell in a handbasket without us.’ She stretched and various joints popped. ‘My back is killing me.’

  June licked her lips. ‘I’ll give you a backrub later. How is the clean-up going?’

  ‘Slowly. They got the riots under control by about thirteen hundred yesterday. They wouldn’t let us start clearing until ten this morning. It’s going to take weeks. I’ve said I’ll help as much as I can. Svetilo’s on side too.’

  ‘I’ll help where I can,’ Andrea said, ‘but you guys are the heavy-lifters.’

  ‘I think you should stick with patrols. I may have to cut back a little if I’m pushing myself during the day. How’s the calendar thing going, June?’

  ‘I’m going down to Miami on Wednesday to discuss it with Ever and Susan. Bianca’s arranging it. She’s down there already with Elaine. And Dom’s going over some possible candidates for the normal models she’d like to bring in.’

  ‘Twilight’s coming up with ideas for how you can shoot her,’ Andrea said. ‘She’s far too keen on this.’

  June grinned. ‘You, or she, will look great. We’re going to try to get moving on this as soon as possible since we’re shooting in two locations and we’d kind of like time to get more publicity out for this one.’

  ‘Do you think Roger would do another signing session?’ Penny asked. ‘Once we have some stills to work with, we could arrange that. Maybe with all three of us there.’

  Andrea sagged. ‘Oh, he’ll jump at it. How we’ll get the three of us in the shop I don’t know, but he’ll crawl over hot coals for that opportunity.’

  ‘Well, let’s just hope things are relatively quiet around here so we can get it all arranged.’

  ~~~

  The shadows in the front hall of Jacob’s house thickened and then fell back as Andrea stepped out of them. Maybe there were UID agents watching the house, but that was not going to
stop her checking up on him. If he was really just down with a cold, she could slip out again, probably without him even noticing she was there.

  The house was dark and quiet. There was no sign of Jacob in the lounge. Maybe he was sick. She headed toward the back of the house, to the bedroom, moving silently so that if he was sleeping or whatever, she would not disturb him.

  And then she noticed steam forming in the air in front of her as she breathed out. Cold did not bother her now, not even deep cold. She was not entirely sure how low she could go, but any normal temperature was comfortable. But her breath was steaming, inside a house, in August. Just having the air conditioning set too low did not quite seem to cut it.

  Frowning, she reached for the doorknob. It was cold, freezing, and the door was jammed solid. It took effort to get the knob to turn and it gave with a crack, and then the door itself seemed like there was something against it. She reached out with her mind and found the room beyond in dim light: dim enough that she could gather the shadows and walk through. Fading into darkness, she stepped through the wood, and into a winter wonderland.

  The walls, floor, and ceiling of Jacob’s bedroom were covered in thick frost. It sparkled in the light from the bedside lamp, glistened on every surface. Jacob lay naked on the bed, covers thrown aside. He was shivering, his skin had an unhealthy pallor, and sweat gleamed on it. It was not until Andrea stepped closer that she realised that the rivulets of sweat were actually frozen. Jacob was covered in tiny glaciers.

  ‘Shit,’ Andrea breathed. ‘Jacob.’ There was no response so she tried louder. ‘Jacob?’ Still nothing. She reached out to touch him and his skin was like ice. But he was breathing and there was a pulse. She pushed one of his eyelids and gasped. His normally brown eyes were glowing an icy blue.

  Stepping back, Andrea found her phone and flicked through her contacts for the emergency number the Union had given her. Why had Penny had to go wish for it to be quiet?

  Interlude

  San Francisco, CA, 1st September, 2014.

  ‘Miss Hung?’

  ‘Yes.’