Shadows (Ultrahumans Book 2)

by Niall Teasdale

  ‘So people can expect to see more of you on camera?’

  Both Ultras grinned at the double meaning.

  ‘Uh, yeah,’ Twilight said, ‘but I still work best from the shadows so Cygnus is still going to be taking the press calls. I may say a few more words than before though.’

  Hendry’s face straightened, which meant she was probably going to ask about Bobby. Cygnus steeled herself.

  ‘Things were not looking so good for you at the end of last year, Cygnus. Your boyfriend was murdered and you were framed for the crime.’

  ‘Zephyr was my mentor as well as my boyfriend,’ Cygnus replied. ‘I… His murder was a shock and then I was blamed… But Twilight helped me clear my name and bring down those responsible.’

  ‘And, sadly, Ultranova died in the assault on Ghostfire’s base.’

  ‘Yes… He died doing what he did for a decade and we defeated someone trying to take over the organised crime throughout the city.’

  ‘And now we have you two to take over Ultranova’s role as our leading Ultras. I think New Millennium is safe in your hands. Thank you, Cygnus and Twilight.’

  ~~~

  ‘He “died doing what he did for a decade?”’ Andrea said when they were both slumped on the sofas in the lounge.

  ‘Well, he did,’ Penny replied, her tone defensive. ‘He died trying to kill someone who was a threat to his crime syndicate.’

  ‘Huh. I’m not sure I’m up to going out tonight. I think I want to get drunk instead.’

  ‘That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, to be honest, but you have work in the morning.’

  ‘So I’ll not get really drunk.’

  Penny tried for a giggle, did not quite pull it off, and dragged herself to her feet to get a bottle of wine just as June appeared from her room.

  ‘Did you say you were drinking?’ the brunette asked.

  ‘I’m tired and pissed off about Lena,’ Andrea replied.

  ‘And I had to lie about Ultranova again,’ Penny added. ‘So, yeah, we’re drinking. Want a glass?’

  ‘Uh-huh. I’m going to be in Venice Beach next week, so I want all the girl time I can get before I have to be all professional.’ June slumped onto the sofa beside Andrea, her wrap flapping around her.

  ‘Ooh, June,’ Andrea said, wincing, ‘a little too much June on display there.’

  June gave a giggle. ‘All girls together, remember.’ She straightened her wrap anyway.

  ‘I’ve just got a bit of an issue with naked women at the moment.’

  ‘Lena didn’t take it very well?’

  ‘I don’t think either of us did. When her father finds out… Someone’s going to get it in the neck.’

  16th April.

  The gunshot had echoed and been difficult to isolate, but Twilight had managed it after checking a couple of alleys. The gun was a .357 Magnum, chrome-plated and obviously designed to impress, but it had not done its owner much good.

  The man was lying in a pile of upturned trashcans wrapped in… Well, Twilight was not entirely sure what he was wrapped in. It seemed almost like solidified wood splinters, somehow formed into a series of tight bands which wrapped him up very effectively, but the immediate concern was the wound in his right thigh which was bleeding fairly profusely.

  Pulling her radio from her boot top, she fixed it into her ear as she began checking the man’s pulse. ‘Cygnus? You there?’

  There was a pause and then, ‘Twilight? Problem?’

  ‘Got a guy here in Churchton. Wounded. Pulse is weak. I think he’s lost a lot of blood. You’d probably be quicker than an ambulance.’ Tearing open the man’s jeans revealed a torn wound, maybe an inch across and narrow. It did not look like a knife wound.

  ‘I’m over in Uptown. Be there in… three.’

  ‘Yeah, put a push on, this doesn’t look good.’

  ~~~

  Twilight walked in through the hospital concourse, headed for the observation lounge of the ICU. There was a wolf whistle from somewhere behind her as she pushed the swing doors open, and she grinned as she went through.

  ‘Never used to get that in the old costume,’ she commented silently.

  ‘Our ass is on display,’ Andrea replied. ‘Not that it didn’t look good in the catsuit, but this is a bit more… more.’

  She had hung around for the cops at the crime scene while Cygnus had waited at the hospital to try to find out what had happened to the gunman. Both of them had a bad feeling about it, or maybe just an odd feeling.

  ‘He’s going to live,’ Cygnus said when she spotted Twilight strutting toward her. ‘They finished with him about ten minutes ago. I figured I’d wait here for you.’

  Twilight nodded. ‘Was it an arrow wound?’

  ‘They aren’t sure, but they think so. Barbed. Some sort of hunting arrow. Clipped his femoral artery when it was pulled out. If you hadn’t found him…’

  ‘I doubt the world would’ve mourned his loss much. Joey Lugosi, one of Tonaldo’s thugs. Really low-ranking. Cops say he was suspected of dealing. I’d say we go talk to Red, but that binding material…’

  ‘That was something else. They had to cut it off with a scalpel and whenever they cut through a strand it would just fall apart. The whole thing turned into dust, like sawdust.’

  ‘That’s some sort of Ultra power.’

  ‘Or magic, yeah. I still think I should check with Red in the morning. If there’s another archer out there she may have heard about it.’

  ‘Uh-huh. And whoever it is needs to be more careful. I’ll kill them if I need to, but leaving the guy to bleed out in an alley?’

  ‘No. This one needs finding and reining in.’

  17th April.

  ‘It certainly wasn’t me,’ Red said. She dropped a couple of pills into her mouth and washed them down with coffee. She was looking as if she had had a bad night. ‘And I’ve not heard of a new archer in town.’

  ‘Your back playing up?’ Cygnus asked, grimacing in sympathy.

  ‘Nothing some industrial-class painkillers won’t solve. You say this binding material seemed magical?’ She settled onto a stool at the kitchen counter and adjusted her short wrap.

  ‘It was made of something like wood chips, or sawdust, but it clung around the guy and they had to cut it off. Sounds like magic to me, or some sort of molecular control power.’

  ‘Haven’t had any new Ultras in the Den, but they don’t always come here. I’ll make some enquiries. Can’t have a loose cannon running around the city. When does that interview of yours air?’

  ‘Tomorrow night.’

  ‘Coming to the club?’

  Cygnus gave her a grimace. ‘Don’t think so. I suspect I’d get no peace.’

  ‘Wise move.’

  18th April.

  Jacob was an energy conscious sort of man and, even if their power came from clean, efficient fusion reactors, he tended to turn the lights off in the rooms he was not using. He had also begun to think of it as a distinctly useful policy since Twilight had started dropping by, usually unannounced. He was certainly not surprised when she walked into his lounge from the dark hallway.

  ‘Saw you on the TV earlier,’ he said as she moved closer.

  ‘You watched that?’

  ‘Knew you were going to be on it. Had to check for signs of incipient glory hounding.’

  ‘Uh-huh.’

  ‘New outfit?’

  She grinned and did a slow turn for him. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘It’s… different.’

  Reaching over her shoulder, she found the pressure point on the tape which made its sticky be not sticky, and then tossed her weapon onto the couch. Then she stalked across to where he was sitting on his favourite armchair, in only a pair of boxer shorts, and slid on, straddling his legs.

  ‘Good different, or bad different?’

  ‘Oh, it’s… good. I’m just not sure I want other men looking at you dressed like that.’

  ‘Getting possessive?’

&
nbsp; ‘All I’m saying is that dressing like that could make me more prone to jealousy, and I’m routinely armed.’

  Twilight giggled and slid her hips forward. ‘Oh… I think you do like the costume. And I think you’re getting your health back.’

  ‘I have been feeling a lot stronger the last couple of days.’

  ‘Good… Last chance to back out clean before I fuck you senseless and the break-up gets messy.’

  ‘Shut the fuck up and kiss me,’ Jacob growled.

  ~~~

  June was due in California the following day so Red was under strict orders to not let her drink too much, and to make sure she got to bed at a reasonable hour. June’s view of a reasonable hour was coloured by her flight being at 2pm, but she was sticking to the low-alcohol rule. That might have been why she noticed the woman in the red dress.

  She was not especially tall, but she wore high heels of nose-bleed proportions. Blonde, shoulder-length hair, very attractive if a little pale. Her blue eyes showed even across the dance floor and she had a very substantial chest which was in full evidence thanks to a cross-strapped dress with a deeply cut bodice. She was smiling, a lot, and seemed to be having a good time, but there was something about her…

  Maybe it was her companions. One was huge, very tall with a lot of muscle. Kind of dark-looking with a black crew cut. His Armani suit fitted him perfectly so he clearly had money. The other was shorter, far shorter, younger too and slightly oriental in the facial features. He had muscle too, but he had more of the sleek form Red or Andrea had; he was athletic rather than a body builder. Strands from his long, black hair framed his face and he wore more casual clothes than the big man. Neither of them appeared to be there for fun and there was something deferential about the way they treated the woman.

  ‘Do you know her?’ June asked the Huntress. ‘Woman in the red dress across the floor.’

  Red gave a casual glance in that direction. ‘No. I don’t smell Ultra either. It’s a quiet night.’

  ‘We can make some noise later.’

  ‘Amen to that.’

  ~~~

  ‘The one in red is the Red Huntress,’ Rex said. ‘Regina Jacoby. She’s inactive. Got her back screwed up in oh-seven. She’s on pain meds for it, but she functions and she’s still pretty good with a bow from what we’ve found out.’

  ‘I like her taste in dresses,’ Diamond said, smiling. ‘We leave her be unless she proves difficult. Who’s that with her?’

  ‘June Summerfield. Current lover. She’s a model. Did a few small things and then got a break in that calendar Svetilo did last year. Word is she’s in tight with Cygnus. They share a house and Twilight moved in with them recently.’

  ‘Isn’t she just gorgeous? I bet she looks just peachy on camera. I think I could spend hours with her.’

  ‘Do you want me to procure her, Diamond?’ the younger man asked.

  ‘No, Jack. Let’s not be impatient. There’ll be plenty of time to indulge myself when we’ve got settled in and Miss Summerfield seems like she could be the perfect bargaining chip if we need one. No, for now we keep our hands close to our chests. We’re playing for a big pot here, boys. Put your best poker faces on.’

  19th April.

  Andrea wandered into the lounge wearing one of Jacob’s shirts, mostly because she thought it looked kind of sexy and it did seem to be having the expected effect on her lover.

  It had been quite a night. Twilight had kicked things off, but with no need to keep up the whole secret identity thing, the mask had come off at some point and Andrea had had some time with Jacob. It was like they were sharing him.

  She paused, mid-stride, and considered that. Currently he did not know about Andrea and Twilight. He still called her Twilight and thought of her as Twilight, and maybe that was not such a great thing when there were two minds sharing the same body…

  ‘He won’t care,’ Twilight predicted from the back of their shared mind-space.

  ‘Yeah, but… We can’t really not mention it. He needs to know.’

  ‘Then tell him, but he won’t care.’

  ‘You’re looking… pensive,’ Jacob stated, unaware of the discussion.

  ‘Good word.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘The whole new powers, black eyes thing? It came with a… sort of added feature.’ That got a raised eyebrow. She walked over to where he was sitting on his chair and planted herself in his lap. ‘I always tried to keep me and Twilight a bit separate. It helped with keeping the secret identity and it made me feel a bit better about some things.’

  ‘Okay. Not entirely uncommon. What is your name, by the way?’

  ‘Andrea, Andrea Morgan. Pleased to meet you.’

  He grinned. ‘Nice meeting you, Andrea. Nice name.’

  ‘Thank you. Anyway… When this happened, it was traumatic. The separation between me and Twilight became… a bit more extreme. Doctor Ultimate says I actually have two sets of brainwaves. It’s like a dual personality, but it’s more…’

  ‘More Ultrahuman?’

  ‘You’re taking this pretty well. I just said I had a personality disorder of magnificent proportions…’

  ‘No, you said you had two sets of brainwaves. Ultimate usually has six sets running together from what I read. How does this work? I assume you can switch between the two personalities?’

  ‘When I put the mask on, I’m Twilight. Without it I’m Andrea. When we’re not in control we kind of, um, watch. And we can talk to each other. You really don’t have a problem with this?’

  Jacob laughed and the last bit of worry evaporated. ‘Are you kidding? I get to sleep with two gorgeous women, and they know, and they’re fine with it. If I could tell anyone about it, my rep at the office would sky-rocket.’

  She giggled, slapping his shoulder, but then she saw his eyes flick to the screen behind her and his face falling. She twisted around to see what he had seen and felt something clamp around her stomach.

  The image was from a helicopter flying over one of the Uptown shopping malls. There was a young woman standing on the edge of a low wall, her hands clasped in front of her chest. She was blonde and not too tall, and Andrea knew exactly who she was even before the scrolling banner at the bottom told her.

  She looked back at Jacob. ‘I have to get out there. Can you drive me?’

  ‘Sure, but…’

  She bounced off his lap, hurrying for the bedroom. ‘That’s Lena Tonaldo, David’s daughter. It’s my fault she’s up there.’

  ~~~

  The cops had set up a perimeter and were keeping people off the top floor of the mall, which was a parking lot as was the floor below. When Andrea arrived, Jacob on her heels, Cygnus was already there, in jeans and a T-shirt, talking to a man who looked to be the negotiator. At least, he had a police windbreaker on, but he did not look like a beat cop. David Tonaldo was also there, shouting at people. Andrea ignored him and went straight for Cygnus.

  ‘She’s threatening to jump?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Cygnus replied, pointing at a TV screen which had been set up on the ground beside the door. It showed a close-up of Lena which had to be coming from a camera on one of the opposite buildings. She had been crying, but her right eye looked swollen. ‘If anyone gets near her she screams at them and backs toward the edge.’

  ‘This is your fault!’ Tonaldo grabbed Andrea’s shoulder and spun her around. ‘Fucking aborto whore…’ He was drawing his fist back when Andrea grabbed his wrist, twisted, pushed, and he let out a screech as he was driven to his knees.

  ‘It’s our fault,’ she spat at him. ‘But I’m willing to bet the black eye she’s wearing is all down to you. So if you want to keep your teeth in your mouth, you back the fuck off and let me go stop her.’ She leaned closer to him and added in a lower voice. ‘You don’t want anyone knowing why she’s out there, do you Mister Tonaldo?’

  She pushed him away to sprawl on the floor looking suddenly deflated, not the vicious criminal now, but the father who was about t
o lose his child and knew he could do nothing about it. Andrea turned for the door of the stairwell the little scene had played out in.

  The negotiator stopped her. ‘I can’t just let you–’

  ‘She’ll talk to me,’ Andrea told him. ‘Tonaldo’s right. This is at least partially my fault and I need to put it right. She’ll talk to me and I’ll get her down, but just in case…’ She looked at Cygnus.

  ‘On it,’ Cygnus said, starting for the stairs.

  ‘Don’t come any closer,’ Lena shouted when Andrea was maybe ten feet away. ‘And none of those shadow tricks.’

  ‘It’s too bright,’ Andrea replied. ‘You picked a really nice day to be standing on a roof. How did you get up here? No way was he letting you out without a minder.’

  Lena gave a shrug and took a small step away from the edge. ‘He was feeling guilty. About this…’ She lifted a hand to her eye and Andrea had to force herself not to clench her fists. ‘He let me go shopping, no expense spared, like that was going to change anything. I used to slip them all the time when I was a teenager and then I stopped and they got complacent. Wasn’t even a challenge. Why did you do it?’

  ‘My brother.’

  ‘The one that died in the bank robbery?’

  ‘Andrew, Andy. I loved him and then he died because he was trying to prove himself to your father. I blamed David Tonaldo for Andy’s death and I was willing to do anything to bring him some justice. I needed information and there you were.’

  ‘The perfect, stupid dope.’

  ‘I’ve never thought of you like that, Lena. At first I didn’t think of you at all. I didn’t care what happened to you. Fuck! I didn’t care what happened to me so long as your father ended up dead. I knew it would end badly, but I didn’t care, and by the time I did care there was no way out that wasn’t going to end up like this.’

  ‘You cared then?’

  ‘I didn’t want to see you hurt, Lena, but I didn’t know that until…’ Andrea shrugged. ‘Maybe, if I hadn’t changed like this, I could have just vanished. You’d have been upset, but you’d have got over it. When this happened… No going back now.’