Shadows (Ultrahumans Book 2) (25 page)

‘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, 25
^th
May.

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.’

‘Your butt’s not–’ June began.

‘More booty than a Cadillac,’ Elaine interrupted, ‘as the shaying goes. Anyway, there’sh only Snapshot that really has a secret identity in the Stars. The resht don’t exactly yell about it, but they don’t try to hide.’

‘I don’t really know much about them, except Ultramech and that’s mostly what Penny’s told me.’

‘Penny your girlfriend?’

‘No… No, just a friend.’

‘Huh. Well, there’s Lament, the leader. She can change emotions with her singing. Dali’s Muse is an illusionist, weird kid, but nice. Cute. She does crowd control with Lament. Uh, Bonehead is the muscle.’

‘Bonehead?’

‘Yeah, he’s not too bright, but he’s bright enough that he thought it was amusing to turn his nickname as a kid into a hero name. Fuego is ex-street gang. Reformed. Kind of strict, like ex-smokers can get so hard on smoking. He’s the firepower along with Ultramech. Snapshot does a little of both. He does trick shots with some custom revolvers.’

‘And there’s you,’ Bianca pointed out, ‘without whom none of them would know where they were and half of them wouldn’t be able to function at all. She handles base mechanics, communications, builds special bullets for Snapshot,
and
keeps Ultramech from falling apart. The Stars do pretty well, which is good since they basically represent our hero contingent.’

‘Not all of it,’ Elaine replied. ‘There’s also Mink.’

‘I think I’ve heard of the others,’ June said. ‘Well, maybe not Snapshot.’

‘He’s not that notable,’ Bianca said.

‘Mink… Never heard of Mink.’

‘You wouldn’t,’ Elaine said. ‘Mink
really
hides her identity. She’s registered, but hardly anyone ever sees her. She does really good work, but she never takes the credit. Lament hates her guts.’

June frowned. ‘Why?’

‘Lament hates freelancers.’

‘And,’ Bianca added, ‘anyone who can do the job better than she can.’

New Millennium City, MD.

‘Someone did a real job on him,’ Cygnus said, her voice flat and a little distant. She was standing outside the room now, Twilight beside her, while police swarmed over the place.

‘Yeah,’ Twilight replied. ‘The knife work looks familiar.’

David Tonaldo had been skinned. From the contorted expression on his skinless face, he had been alive for a lot of it. The killer had slung him from a hook in the ceiling in his daughter’s bedroom, and carefully removed his skin, section by section. There was no evidence of a lethal wound, as such. He had been left hanging there to die of blood loss.

‘Our serial killer?’

‘Which makes even less sense than anything else that’s going on.’

Someone else had clearly decided that Tonaldo’s death looked like an existing case; the lift doors opened and Detective Silvian emerged from the car, his face grim. As his gaze fell upon Cygnus and Twilight, his expression darkened further and he marched toward them. Cygnus straightened and moved smoothly to stand between him and Twilight, but he was determined to get to the brunette. His arm lifted, his hand landed on Cygnus’ shoulder, and he pushed. When nothing happened he just got angrier.

‘I want that sword and her in custody. I’ll take both of you in if–’

‘No,’ Cygnus said calmly.

‘What?!’

‘No. You’ll do no such thing. If you insist on us being questioned, you’ll call the UID. And if you don’t take your hand off my arm, I’ll bring assault charges against you.’

‘I know what she’s been doing. I know she’s been sneaking–’ He stopped and his grip tightened on her shoulder. ‘I
know
!’

‘What, exactly, Detective? You said something about that before. You seemed to think she was up to something when the entire city knows she was stopping Slapstick from nuking the place. Back off and explain yourself.’

He stepped back, but there was something in his eyes, something wild and uncontrolled, and very dangerous. She watched him trying to fight it. Some part of him was aware that his memories were a mess, but a bigger part was
sure
that Twilight was the killer. His hand slipped into his jacket and Cygnus found herself looking down the barrel of a huge semiautomatic pistol.

‘You’re coming in for questioning,’ he growled. ‘One way or another, you’re–’

‘I got hit with three Claymore mines recently and I came out without a scratch. Do you really think that thing is going to hurt me? Put the gun away while you still have a career.’

There were uniformed cops circling behind him now, all of them with their hands on their own pistols, though none of them had drawn them yet. Silvian seemed to be aware of them, even through the fog of anger. ‘This isn’t over,’ he hissed before turning and stalking toward the elevator.

‘I think it is,’ Cygnus muttered.

‘If he’d shot you in the eye…’ Twilight whispered behind her.

‘But
he
didn’t know that. Let’s see if we can get out of here. I need a shower.’

~~~

Viviane appeared in the lounge in a blaze of light, looked around once, and said, ‘Not here. Outside, in the sunlight.’

Penny had been expecting the sorceress to show up when Andrea called, so it was Cygnus and Andrea who followed her out of the house and into the early afternoon daylight.

‘Most people would think it more secure
inside
,’ Cygnus said.

‘Most people do not suspect what I do,’ Viviane replied. ‘These people, the ones who attacked you, they wore black and used magic which employed shadows and darkness?’

‘Yeah,’ Andrea said, nodding. ‘That was what made us think they were after me. The abilities were too much like my new powers. You know who they are?’

‘I know what they are known as. Unfortunately, knowing their name and knowing what they are or what they want are not the same thing.’

‘A name’s a good start.’

The sorceress frowned, peering around at the parking space and moving further into the light. ‘They are known as the Shadow Court, and they have probably been around since mankind told stories around fires in caves. No one knows much about them. No one who is not one of them anyway. They operate in secret, but they have considerable influence. It seems that they are exceptionally good at uncovering secrets, especially those hidden in the shadows.’

‘I guess that explains wanting to be out here,’ Cygnus said.

Viviane gave her a slight smile. ‘A few occultists believe they are somehow related to the fear of the dark.’

‘Which is what I’m to do with,’ Andrea put in.

‘Yes. They say that when men first began to fear what might be out there in the shadows beyond the firelight,
something
was there to take on that mantle. These people worship it, or keep it satisfied and in check. The terror you invoke in people, Twilight, is the fear of this… force, this entity. It is the fear of looking into the shadows and
knowing
that something is there, watching, waiting for you to be foolish enough to stray into its domain.’

‘I’m going to be sleeping with the light on,’ Cygnus muttered. ‘What would they want with Twilight?’

‘There my knowledge fails me, but I can theorise. It seems as though Twilight has some of this creature’s power. It would seem likely that it wants that power back.’

Andrea frowned. ‘Peachy. I’m being hunted by a supernatural shadow being.’

‘No, my dear,’ Viviane replied. ‘You are being hunted by
the
supernatural shadow being.’

~~~

‘He’s off the case,’ Jane’s voice said over the phone. ‘He came around to sob on my shoulder and apologise for failing me.’

‘He’s there now?’ Diamond asked, frowning. The girl could be so stupid at times.

‘I persuaded him to take a nap. He was
so
tired.’

Perhaps not quite so stupid. ‘Well, hun, he’s useless at this point. Dump him and I’ll find you another target. I think I know just the person, but he may be a harder nut to crack.’

‘They’re all easy, Diamond. Men are putty in my hands.’ Arrogant as it sounded, she was more or less right. ‘Anyway, I think Mark might be persuaded to do one last thing. You’re out to get Twilight, so let’s see how much he loves me.’

‘All right. Then we’ll arrange a meeting with your new boyfriend.’ Diamond hit the disconnect button and glanced at Rex who was standing nearby. ‘What about the shipment?’

‘It arrived in the Keys yesterday. We’re breaking it down now. It’s going to take a while to get up here in such small units.’

‘I know, but Cygnus and Twilight have seen right through Tonaldo’s hand every time he’s tried bulk smuggling the stuff. We don’t want them seeing this ace up our sleeves until we play it.’

Rex nodded. ‘You know what Jane’s going to do with the cop?’

‘I can guess. I’m just wondering whether Detective Silvian will be cashing in his chips after this hand.’

26
^th
May.

Andrea looked up at the sound of a chime from the TV. The external cameras were showing a lot of nothing, but something had triggered the alert. Her eyes narrowed, peering at the picture.

Penny squinted at it too. ‘Either my eyes are getting a
lot
worse, or… Think I should change?’

‘No. This isn’t assassins. Not conventional ones anyway.’

‘You see something?’

‘I saw something. The windows on this place are armoured, right?’

‘Oh yes. The blinds being down is just to stop someone
trying
to shoot through them.’

Andrea nodded. ‘In that case he’s going to try the direct approach.’

‘Who?!’

The buzzer for the door went and Penny looked at the screen again. ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘How do you want to play this?’

The door opened as Silvian was reaching for the button a second time. His gun rose immediately, but he found himself aiming it at a short woman in thick glasses and a robe. Her hands went up and her eyes crossed as she peered at the end of the barrel.

‘Where’s Twilight?’ he kept his voice low, and it had a fairly menacing quality at the best of times.

‘I-inside,’ Penny replied. Sounding nervous was not that hard; she was
far
from bulletproof in this form.

‘Cygnus?’

‘She’s o-out.’

‘Back up, nice and slow. Take me to the shadow-bitch.’

Penny turned, slowly, and started inward. She heard the door close behind him and kept walking, under the access to the upper rooms and through to the lounge which was brightly lit despite all the blinds being down. Andrea was right where she had left her, a fashion magazine, which was really not the kind of thing she bothered reading, in her hands as she sat curled up on one of the sofas. Penny got the feeling that the sofa was going to need re-upholstering after this.

Silvian pushed Penny aside. She tripped and sprawled on the carpet, but she was out of the line of fire, which was good. ‘I told you this wasn’t over,’ the detective growled, aiming his pistol and pulling back the hammer.

‘Detective,’ Andrea said, trying to look surprised. It was actually not an easy thing to portray when your eyes were black orbs. ‘I know you seem to think I’ve killed some people, and I have, just not the ones you think. Put the gun down and let’s talk.’

‘I
know
you did it. I
know
you’ve been stalking Jane. You got me taken off the case, but I’m gonna stop you.’

‘I don’t even know who Jane is.’

‘Yes you– Never mind that. I know how your powers work. You need it dark and it’s too bright in here.’

‘Yes, yes it is. You’d have made a good detective.’

‘Huh. Any last words, bitch?’

‘Mmhmm. Lights off.’