‘I can live with that,’ Twilight said, grinning. ‘And this could be fun.’
~~~
‘Okay… Uh… Any thoughts on how I should do this?’
Andrea looked back at Cygnus, eyes wide. ‘I have no idea. How do you do the other changes?’
‘I kind of… will them, or they just happen. Like, it’s cold and then I can’t feel the cold.’
‘Okay… So… Visualisation! You need to focus on me, and visualise Twilight.’
‘You look the same. One of you wears a mask. Or when you’re in a mask, you’re Twilight.’
‘Right, but we’re not the same, and the differences are in our minds, right? So if you can focus on that…’
Grimacing, Cygnus stared across at Andrea and tried to picture Twilight. Grinning, happy Twilight with her bright disposition and her somehow slightly immature nature, as though she was just born… which she sort of was even if she had twenty-two years of memories. And she had to seek out that mind, just reach out and contact that mind. Just reach out…
‘I am not getting a damn thing. I’ve got the picture, I think, and I’m trying to reach out for her, but–’ She stopped as Andrea got to her feet and started across toward her.
‘Twilight’s idea,’ Andrea said. ‘You’re reaching, so let’s cut the distance you have to reach. She may have a point.’ She sat down beside Cygnus and turned to look at her. ‘I think skin contact might be a good idea, which Twilight… never mind. Touch me.’
‘I have a feeling I know what Twilight was thinking. Okay…’ Reaching up, Cygnus placed her palms on either side of Andrea’s face, thumbs resting on her cheeks. ‘Kind of like a Vulcan mind meld.’ She shifted her fingers, pressing lightly against Andrea’s temples. ‘Now I just have to…’
Something seemed to shift inside her and she gasped as the world vanished around her, replaced by darkness. The ground beneath her feet was black, some sort of rock like obsidian. Ahead of her the ground fell away into a chasm, the other side lost in some sort of black, boiling fog which reared up over her head to become the kind of fast-moving cloud you saw in horror movies.
‘This is new.’ The voice came from behind her, and she turned and saw double.
‘Not new, exactly. It was kind of like this when we died. I think it’s always here, we just… don’t come here.’
‘Oh… maybe.’
Cygnus looked between the two Andreas. ‘How am I supposed to tell you apart?’
They were dressed identically, in the T-shirt and jeans Andrea was wearing in the real world, and they obviously looked the same. She suspected the second one to speak was Twilight, but there was no obvious way to tell…
One of them looked down at herself. ‘Well, we’re all just thoughts, so I think I should dress appropriately.’ Her clothes remodelled themselves in an instant, becoming the costume Twilight wore, except without the mask; there was no need for it here. ‘But I still think we should have done this naked and pressed together. The more skin contact the better.’
‘Yeah,’ Cygnus said, ‘you’re Twilight. So, if it isn’t Tonaldo that’s after us, who is it?’
‘Straight to business. You’re no fun.’
‘She’s right, though,’ Andrea said. ‘If it isn’t Tonaldo then we have got a new player in town and they seem to be using Tonaldo’s organisation.’
‘Doesn’t bode well for Tonaldo, maybe for his son too.’
‘So we do go in?’ Cygnus suggested. ‘Well, Twilight does. Check the place. Check him. We can bust in and confront him if everything’s okay.’
‘It sounds like a plan,’ Andrea agreed.
‘Yeah,’ Twilight said in a sour tone, ‘it was what I said we should do last night. We could have skipped this and just got it over with.’
‘You thought this would be fun,’ Cygnus pointed out.
‘Yeah, but I’d forgotten you two were buzzkills. Plus, I wasn’t expecting a set out of a John Carpenter movie.’
‘What were you expecting? It’s your mind after all.’
‘I dunno… Forests of dildos would have been nice. I could have watched you both blushing.’
‘Well, it’s a mindscape,’ Andrea said, tapping her finger to her lips. ‘Next time I’m playing backseat driver I’ll see if I can do something with it. Maybe a little house. Couple of bedrooms, nice, comfy sofa. No, I’m not doing sex toy foliage.’ Twilight pouted at her.
‘What’s that?’ Cygnus asked, turning once again to the wall of fog behind them.
‘That’s… We’re not sure. Another personality, maybe. She was around when we split, but we never see her. I think that’s a good thing.’
‘I think you might be right.’
Belvedere, CA.
‘I thought the place I lived in was nice,’ June said as she walked out of the garage where Bianca’s driver had parked the car. The car, Bianca had explained, was armoured with a polymer that Fullerton Technologies had invented and would stop anything up to light anti-tank weapons.
Below them was a large, Victorian-style villa, two storeys high and formed of two wings set about a central block. It looked huge. Just visible beyond it was the bay, and Angel Island. The city was hiding in thin fog for now.
‘Yeah, that’s the family home,’ Bianca said. ‘My great-grandfather built it. Libby, my sister-in-law, lives in that with her two kids, and there are some rooms in the north wing we use for business meetings. My place is down the hill. The Pool House.’
She took June around the large building and down through trees and some landscaped lawns, heading for the foot of the hill. June had seen something poking up through the trees, but it had just been a white shape. As they neared the bottom, she spotted a jetty jutting out into the water with a couple of powerboats moored beside it, and then she saw the Pool House. It was significantly smaller and far more modern, probably built of concrete though it was a stylish design. The side facing the water had wide windows on both levels, all of them showing the blank face of blinds.
‘I had the entire thing gutted and refitted when I moved in here. The glass is armoured. This is San Francisco and you never can tell when some kaiju is going to come storming through to destroy the Golden Gate.’
June gave her a look. ‘I think that only happens in movies.’
‘That’s what they keep telling me, but I think it’s just a matter of time. Now, two bedrooms upstairs. Mine is the closest to the stairs. They both have bathrooms and there’s an exercise room up there if you want to work out.’ She took a card from her bag and swiped it over a panel beside the door, and the door clicked open. ‘I’ll get you a key card in case you need to go out.’
Inside, the furniture was modern and in pale colours. There was a TV screen in the lounge which was at least as large as the one June had at home, but this one swung down on rails from the ceiling to hang in front of the window, which meant the sofas could face the view and be used for home entertainment.
‘There’s a kitchen, with a washing machine if you need to launder anything. Uh… And I guess if you can’t find something, ask.’
‘Where’s the pool? It’s the Pool House, but I didn’t see a pool.’
Picking up a remote, Bianca pressed a button and the blinds drew back from the windows. ‘Biggest pool in the city. It’s kind of a pun, I guess. Though, there is a hot tub in the decking at the side. You’re free to use it, but try to avoid that when the kids are home.’
‘You said something about a nephew?’
‘Mark, yeah. He’s thirteen and he discovered that girls don’t have cooties in the last year or so. And he thinks Aunt Bianca is just amazing. His mother bought him a telescope for his birthday. She thinks he uses it for astronomy.’
June giggled. ‘I’ll keep that in mind. Is it okay if I call home? I can use my cell–’
Pointedly indicating a telephone beside one of the sofas, Bianca said, ‘Seriously, a long-distance telephone call does not make a dent in my monthly take-home.’
‘Well,
it’s polite to ask…’
‘Yes, it is, and thank you for doing so. Now call them and let them know I haven’t chained you up in my dungeon.’
June picked up the phone and dialled. ‘You have a dungeon? Because–’
‘Forgot to put one in when I did the refit.’
‘How terribly forgetful. Hey, Pen, hello from San Francisco. Well, Belvedere really.’
‘That’s… across the bay, right?’ Penny’s voice said from the other end.
‘Uh-huh. This place is huge, though Bianca lives in a smaller house down from the main one. The view is amazing, but it’s through armoured glass safe from a kaiju attack.’ She gave a serious nod to emphasise the point, even if Penny could not see it.
‘I kind of doubt that, but then there are no kaiju. As far as anyone knows anyway.’
‘Should be safe enough from rifles. Any news?’
‘No. There may be tomorrow.’
‘What time is it there? I haven’t a clue what time it is here.’
‘Uh… Just coming up to six, so it’s almost three where you are.’
‘Okay, then have a good night and I’ll call in the morning.’
‘Stay safe.’ There was a click as Penny disconnected and June put the handset down.
‘No news on their end,’ June said to Bianca. ‘I’m here until at least tomorrow.’
‘Even if they solve this overnight, I think you can stay a little longer. If there’s no threat of assassination, you could actually see a few sights.’
June smiled. ‘That’d be nice. I’ve never been to San Francisco.’
New Millennium City, MD.
‘June got to San Francisco okay,’ Cygnus said to the speakerphone.
‘Good,’ Red replied. ‘I’m glad. She should be safe there. Fullerton Technologies make some very effective materials for armour products.’
‘Yeah, she seemed to think it was safe enough. Anything come up?’
‘Rumours. A lot of rumours. No one’s seen David Tonaldo for over a week. No one has seen him. Word is he’s in hiding for some reason. He’s put several subordinates in charge of operations, and not the ones I’d have necessarily expected.’
‘That’s not good,’ Andrea commented.
‘No. You’re going in tonight?’
‘That’s the plan.’
‘Be careful. I mean, more careful than usual. Something about this stinks, and there are a few other rumours floating around which concern me.’
‘Like?’
‘Various favours have been called in on a few people. Favours they won’t talk about. Political stuff, mostly. Various detectives have been reassigned around the Leighton and Thorpe case. The manpower on it has been reduced. Someone pulled strings to keep Detective Silvian on the serial murders. The UID made a suggestion he be reassigned a week or so ago and it looked like it would happen, and then it didn’t.’
‘That’s… weird.’
‘And there have been a few sightings of people in black watching God knows what. They sound like the people who attacked you and Cygnus back in April.’
‘You don’t think they could be behind all of this?’
‘I have no idea. I’m doing some digging, but so far I’m not finding any group who fits the description.’
‘What time is it in England?’ Cygnus asked. ‘Never mind, it’s probably really late. We’ll call Viviane in the morning. They used shadowy, magicky stuff so maybe she knows who they are.’
‘Is “magicky” a word?’ Andrea asked.
‘It is now. We’re going in after midnight, Red, so we’ll update you tomorrow.’
‘Fine. Good luck.’ The line went dead and Andrea leaned over to turn the speaker off.
‘You know,’ the brunette said as she straightened up, ‘I’m starting to think we might need some luck the way this is going.’
Belvedere, CA.
‘June, you can keep a secret, right?’
June looked up from the magazine she had found and peered across at Bianca, emerging from the little corridor that led to the stairs in a silk wrap and with a towel wrapped around her head. ‘I live with two Ultras.’
‘I’m going to take that as a yes, because otherwise this is going to be a less comfortable evening.’ She unwrapped the towel and tossed it back the way she had come.
‘Oh,’ June said. Beneath the towel was a short, now ruffled, mop of black hair.
‘It’s a privacy thing,’ Bianca explained. ‘When I was younger I used to dye it and wear it long.’ She walked over and fell onto the sofa beside June. ‘Then I got older and wanted to do my own thing, and Bianca Fullerton can’t go anywhere without some reporter with a camera following her. So I cut my hair and let it go back to black, and I started wearing a wig when I needed to make public appearances. Without it, I don’t get recognised because everyone knows that I’m a blonde.’
‘And it changes the shape of your face. You look less angular like that. I think I prefer it.’
‘Thank you. Just don’t tell anyone.’
‘Like I said, two Ultras. I know more secrets than I wish I did, and they stay secret.’
‘Great. Uh… I figure I should say something… And this is going to sound all wrong… You’re a lesbian, right?’
‘And you have great legs.’ June grinned to show it was a joke, though Bianca did have good legs. There was a lot of long, tight muscle in them; June thought she recalled something about some fairly extreme sports being one of Bianca’s hobbies.
‘Thanks again. I’m straight. No problem with gays, just…’
‘Duly noted, and I shall not attempt to seduce you. Besides, I’m in a relationship.’
‘Red Huntress. She was quite a woman back when she was active.’
‘Still is, but she can’t go leaping between rooftops these days.’
‘She–’ Bianca stopped as the phone buzzed. ‘Who the Hell is that?’ Leaning over, she stabbed a button on the phone. ‘Who is it?’
‘Bianca, it’s Elaine. I heard you were back. I want to hear what Ever had to say about the project.’
Sagging slightly, Bianca punched another button and a few seconds later a woman appeared from the little porch. She was attractive in a slightly stereotypical African American way. Her jeans clung to wide hips and she seemed to have a fair expanse of behind. Above that was a slim torso with smallish breasts wrapped in a laced-up tube top. Her face was pretty, full lips and deep, dark brown eyes, all capped off with tightly curled, short, black hair. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of June straightening her robe.
‘Damn, girl, you could’ve said you had a guest.’
‘Elaine,’ Bianca said, ‘it’s Saturday night. You should be out picking up cute girls, not asking me for field reports.’
‘Since when do I go out picking up cute girls, on any night?’
‘That is a valid point.’ Bianca bounced to her feet. ‘You can at least have a drink. I’ll open some wine, and we can order pizza. Yes, Elaine, I’ll tell you what Ever said.’
Elaine walked over to June, looking uncertain, and held out a hand. ‘Hi, Elaine Ellis. I work for Fullerton Tech.’
June took the hand. ‘June Summerfield, refugee from New Millennium City.’
‘Huh?’
‘June is here,’ Bianca said as she returned from the kitchen, ‘because a sniper tried to shoot her in Miami. Long story, I’ll get to it. Elaine is our lead techy, June. She’s also Backroom, a member of the San Francisco Stars.’
‘You’re an Ultra?’ June asked.
‘Just smart. I build gadgets.’
‘She built Ultramech,’ Bianca stated flatly. ‘Robotics is one of her best subjects. She was involved heavily in the nanotech that we’re using in the Everglades.’
‘Ultramech? The sentient super-robot?’ June blinked up at the short technician. ‘You built him?’
Elaine shrugged. ‘Everyone’s gotta have a hobby.’
New Millennium City, MD, 25th May.
&nbs
p; The office was in pitch-darkness. It made no difference to Twilight aside from meaning that she saw in shades of grey; in fact, it made life easier: in the black no one was going to see her.
‘There’s something wrong,’ Andrea commented. ‘It’s like the place has been sealed up.’
‘Agreed. Someone’s pinned heavy cloth over the windows. It’s a little more paranoid than Tonaldo had a right to be.’ She moved to the door. ‘We can check the drawers and such when we’ve been over the rest of the place.’
Cracking the door revealed a dark corridor. There were no guards, no lights, not even from under doorways. Twilight slipped out on silent feet, gliding down the corridor as little more than a shadow in the darkness.
‘On the wall,’ Andrea said, her tone urgent. ‘Opposite the lift there. Is that a bloodstain?’
Twilight bent to examine the dark smear on the paper. Without colour it was hard to tell what it was, but… ‘If it is, it’s old enough that there’s no scent.’ She slid a finger over it. ‘Dry too. Tonaldo had the room at the end, right?’
‘You have the same memories as me.’ There was a pause as Twilight started for the room, and then Andrea added, ‘No sound. None.’
‘No mob boss,’ Twilight replied as she opened the door of the bedroom and looked in. Turning, she checked the next room on the left, and then the one after that. There they found an overturned chair, one leg broken.
‘Check Lena’s room,’ Andrea said.
‘Why? There doesn’t seem to be anyone here. I mean, they cleared out and we missed it.’
‘Call it a hunch.’
Shrugging, Twilight swept down the hallway to the door she, or Andrea anyway, had walked through so often in the past. She pushed it open slowly and looked inside. ‘Oh… shit.’
Belvedere, CA.
‘I know I said I could keep secrets,’ June said, ‘but should I be knowing that you’re with the Stars?’
‘Ish not a secret,’ Elaine slurred. ‘Not like, a shecret shecret anyway.’ She frowned. ‘How many have I had?’
‘It’s your second glass,’ Bianca supplied. ‘You have lousy alcohol tolerance.’
‘Yesh. With a butt this big you’d think I’d hold my liquor better.’
Shadows (Ultrahumans Book 2) Page 19
